


I'll Cover You

by carefulren



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-01
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-03 05:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 62,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1066202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a young, wealthy mall owner. He likes to go about his daily routine with little to no interruptions, but when his friend Erwin informs him of customer complaints regarding a young, grungy-looking boy, Levi will soon find his life being flipped upside down as he unwillingly begins to involve himself in the young boy's life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

            Standing in front of a full length mirror, Levi Rivaille snatched his dark green tie off the back of his recliner. His eyes zeroed in on the reflection of his neck as he crossed and looped until his tie rested neatly against his pressed, white, button-down dress shirt. He turned away from the mirror momentarily to retrieve the blazer draped over the recliner’s arm rest, sliding his short arms into the sleeves.

            Guiding his eyes back to his reflection, Levi let a soft sigh escape his lips as he clasped the buttons on his jacket. He cautiously smoothed his hands down the front of his blazer to rid it of any hidden wrinkles. Once finished, he brought one hand to his hair, combing his fingers through the short, dark locks until each strand fell exactly how he wanted- giving off a neat yet casual appearance.

            Carefully pushing his sleeve up, the dark-haired male glanced down at his watch, allowing a louder sigh to escape his lips as he mentally calculated how long it would take to get to work- adding the walk to the elevator, plus the walk to his car, plus the morning traffic, plus his inability to care. Well, he wouldn’t go so far as to say that he didn’t care about his job because he’s a man that abides by the rules, but he hated sitting in a cramped office all day long.

            He knew he did this to himself- creating the blueprints for what is now the city’s biggest, most popular mall then, with the help of his friend Erwin, proposing the project to the city mayor and soon after, shaking hands with the mayor as he listened to said mayor order his subordinates to make the mall happen.

            He remembered Erwin calling him a few days later. “What should the mall be called?”      Levi didn’t know nor did he care; he just didn’t want it to be something stupid like ‘The Big Mall’, and he was sure to tell Erwin it better not be named something stupid. A shitty name would result in a shitty amount of customers-in his opinion at least.

            Levi could hear the mayor talking in the background while on the phone with Erwin. “Well, it’s going to be a big mall! Huge! Gigantic… No… Colossal! Let’s call it the Colossal Mall!”

            Levi let out a string of mumbled curses on the other line, ignoring Erwin’s whispered protests. But, as much as he hated the name, he had to agree because as Erwin told him later on during their weekly lunch meeting, “He’s the mayor and he agreed to all of this, so we shouldn’t argue.”

            So, he reluctantly agreed, and in two short years, the mall was built and ready for business. Despite it having the world’s worst name, the mall had a huge turnout opening day, and since then, it was named number four on the ‘Top Ten Malls’ list published in the Trost Times.

            Levi was notably credited as the mall’s owner, so he assumed that he could just show up at the mall every now and then to make sure everything was in order, but he was very wrong. Erwin, who acted more as the mall owner than Levi, insisted that mall should have an office area in the back, so Levi and his “assistants” could monitor sales and what not.

            He was against the idea entirely, but he trusted Erwin’s decision and agreed to work in a small, cramped office every day from nine in the morning until five in the evening.  He would return home exhausted with no understanding as to why. All he did was sit in a chair all day, so why was he so tired?

            Every morning, after waking up from his alarm, Levi asked himself if creating this mall was such a good idea. But, he would look around his expensive apartment and reassure himself that he is way better off now than when he was working at the coffee shop a few blocks away.

            So, the dark-haired male quickly fell into a doable pattern- wake up, shower, eat breakfast, change, drive to work, and then sit in a chair for eight hours, messing around on his computer until Erwin came in with something for him to do.

            And this is the pattern he has closely lived by for the last year and a half.

* * *

 

            Slamming his car door, Levi was instantly greeted with a cup of steaming coffee shoved into his face. “Thanks,” he muttered under his breath as he took the coffee cup and started walking towards the mall entrance.

            “Do you want to know what’s on today’s agenda?” Hanji, Levi’s bubbly yet frighteningly intelligent assistant, asked.

            “Not really,” Levi mumbled as he entered the mall, sighing in relief as the hot air instantly warmed his shivering body. He didn’t handle the cold too well, so he insisted that every heating unit in the building be turned on starting  November 1st and be left on until March. Erwin tried to reason with him, telling him that the customers will get hot, but Levi would hear nothing of it. Why should he have to sit in his office freezing his ass off just so the customers would not get too hot?

            “Well,” Hanji began, interrupting Levi’s thoughts. “Erwin had some new wall decorations ordered, so they should be arriving later, and the candle store just got a new shipment in…”

            Levi promptly tuned the brunette’s babbling out. It’s the same thing every day- Erwin ordering something and a bunch of stores getting shipments. He turned his head to the side to watch the various customers shuffling into and out of different shops. One man entering the sports shop was the tallest man he had ever seen. One woman exiting an expensive clothing store had a leash in her hand with a young child on the other end.

            “Ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath as he shook his head. He shifted his eyes around, stopping on a young, filthy boy sitting on the edge of a huge fountain located at the center of the mall. Levi crinkled his nose and tsked before turning his attention back to the front of him, arriving at his office minutes later.

            “So, Erwin should be here in a bit to let you know what he needs you to do,” Hanji finished.

            “Okay.” Levi leaned back in his large, black chair, propping his feet up on the edge of his desk as he waited for his computer to come to life.

            With Hanji dismissed for the moment, Levi closed his eyes, enjoying the silence. But, to his dismay, the silence was quickly interrupted by Erwin and one of the mall’s security guards entering his office.

            “Levi.” Erwin walked over and nudged said boy’s feet off the desk.

            “What?” Levi leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk in front of him.

            “We have had a few customer complaints about a boy in the mall.” Erwin crossed his arms and sighed.

            “And?” Levi noted how Erwin seemed aggravated to be discussing this topic.

            “Do you want him to be removed from the premises?” The security guard motioned towards his handcuffs.

            “I don’t care. Why are you asking me?” Levi raised his eyebrows, meeting Erwin’s eyes. “You decide.”

            “You don’t wish to voice an opinion on the matter?” Erwin questioned.

            Levi dropped his chin into his palm as he stared at Erwin, trying to read the man’s thoughts through his expression. He wasn’t sure if he was exactly right, but to him, it seemed that Erwin wanted the boy to be left alone. “What were the complaints?” He finally asked, noting how Erwin’s shoulder’s raised slightly at the question.

            “Some people are saying that he looks grungy, and they are afraid that he is going to steal something.” The security guard read from a single sheet of paper on a clipboard.

            “So, just to make sure I have this right,” Levi began, irritation dripping off his voice. “You want to throw some boy out of the mall because some shitty customers complained based off his appearance?”

            “Only if you want to,” Erwin spoke up.

            “You handle it,” Levi groaned, motioning for the two men to leave the room, returning the small nod Erwin offered him. He collapsed back against his chair as he listened to the hushed voices coming from outside his door.

            “So, what do you want me to do?” Levi heard the security guard ask.

            “Nothing. Let me talk with the boy.”

            Levi crossed his arms and moved his feet back up to the desk, allowing his mind to wonder back to the filthy-looking boy sitting on the edge of the fountain. 


	2. Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2

 

            “Well?” Levi cocked his head to the side after setting his coffee cup on the table. He leaned forward, resting his elbows atop the cold surface then dropping his chin onto the back of his hand. “What is it that’s _so_ urgent?” He locked eyes with the blond man sitting across from him, not even attempting to hide the irritation in his voice.

            Levi liked his schedule to remain constant, so he couldn’t help but feel annoyed after Erwin called him late last night, asking if they could get together for their weekly lunch meet two days earlier than usual. Of course he agreed; he was quite shocked to hear the frantic tone coming from the blond, who normally held himself in a calm manner.  But, that didn’t mean Levi wasn’t going to do everything he could to show Erwin his aggravation towards the sudden schedule change.

            “It’s about that boy,” Erwin spoke quietly, ignoring the loud sigh that erupted from his friend.

            “What boy?” Levi asked before bringing his coffee cup back to his lips, breathing out a relieved sigh as the hot coffee began to warm his chilled body.

            “The one some customers were complaining about.” Erwin quickly brushed his hand through his hair before picking up his own coffee cup, blowing carefully on the hot liquid as he watched Levi’s thoughtful expression turn into one of realization.

            “Oh.” Levi set his cup down. Truthfully, he had chosen to forget all about that boy a while after Erwin and the security guard had left his office. He didn’t have time to get worked up over something that wasn’t his business, and it wasn’t like he cared enough to get involved.

            “Levi…” Erwin closed his eyes, resting his chin atop his laced fingers.

            “What?” Levi felt his lips pulling into a smirk upon noticing the aggravation building in the blond. ‘Good’, he thought to himself. He considered this payback for the blond ruining his schedule for the rest of the week.

            “The boy hasn’t returned since I talked with him,” Erwin groaned. He hadn’t been able to sleep the last two nights because he was being plagued by guilt-guilt for causing the boy to leave the mall when said boy had done nothing wrong. He was constantly telling himself that he should have just ignored the complaints and left the boy alone as he tossed and turned throughout last couple of nights.

            “So?”  It was then that the dark-haired man noticed the bags under the blond’s eyes, as well his slightly raspy voice. He let out a loud sigh then continued. “Did you actually ask him to leave?”

            “Of course not!” Erwin shot an apologetic look to the couple a few booths over upon realizing he practically shouted in the middle of the diner.

            Levi’s brows furrowed as he stared into his almost empty cup. It wasn’t like Erwin to act like this, ever. So, it worried him that the blond was so worked up over some brat that he talked to for maybe five minutes. “Then, what’s the problem?” He questioned after a few seconds in silence.

            “I’m worried about him, that’s what the problem is.” Erwin fell back against the back of the booth. Much too popular belief, he had a soft spot for children as well as a soft spot for helping others, especially children- even though the boy he was concerned for appeared to be in his teens. Erwin still saw him as a child.

            “Why?” Levi looked away from his mug, studying the blond man closely. He knew Erwin cared for kids, but he still didn’t understand why he was getting so worked up for some shitty brat.

            “I told him about the complaints but stressed for him to disregard them, but he…” Erwin’s words trailed off as he thought back to the boy. “He just,” he began again after a few moments, “apologized for causing problems then left.”

            “Well, that was nice of him,” Levi responded flatly before standing up, fishing his wallet out of his pocket. “Look, you don’t need to lose sleep over this brat. I’m sure he probably ran on home and went on with his merry, little life.” That being said, he tossed a few dollars onto the table then turned on his heel, starting towards the exit.

            “I think he’s homeless,” Erwin called out to the retreating man- eyes locked on the back of the shorter male’s head. The blond ignored the glares he could sense from the couple a few booths over.

            Levi froze-brows knitting as he cautiously dissected every word Erwin had called out. Slowly, he turned back around, maneuvering around the booths until he was standing before the blond. “What makes you think that?”

            “His clothes,” Erwin began. “His hair, and well…” He too tossed a few dollars onto the table then slipped his arms through his coat sleeves. “His overall condition,” he finished.

            “That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?” Levi pointed out as the two exited the diner.

            “You didn’t see him, Levi.” Erwin, who had been walking slightly ahead of Levi, spun on his heel to face the shorter man. “He was so pale and thin; what little clothing he had on was practically falling off his boney frame. He had dark circles under his eyes and a terrible cough. And yet…” Erwin dropped his gaze to his shoes, cringing as he pictured the poor boy in his mind. “He didn’t seem the least bit upset when I mentioned the complaints, and he excused himself with a smile…”

            Levi breathed into his cold hands then stepped around the blond to continue walking. “What would you like to do about it, Erwin?” He listened to hear the blond walking quietly behind him.

            “Find him.” Erwin answered- voice low and tinged with concern.

            “Take a look around, Erwin,” Levi began, gesturing towards the bustling city. “Do you really expect to find one boy among all of these people?”

            “I have to try,” Erwin answered as he reached over the dark-haired male to press the crosswalk button. “And, you are going to help me.”

            “Tch, like hell I am.” Levi responded, raising his voice for emphasis. “I have no concern for this boy.” Truthfully, he felt a tiny bit of concern for the boy but not enough to go out searching for the boy based on some assumptions from his appearance.

            “Very well.” Erwin cocked his head to the side to peer down at the shorter male. “I suppose I will just have to look for him myself. I think I will start tonight after dark when the streets are clear. It may be rather difficult since I haven’t had a decent sleep in the last two days. I hope I don’t faint from exhaustion; that would just be terrible.” He glanced down at the concentrated look on Levi’s face. ‘Excellent,’ he thought to himself.

            If there was one thing Erwin knew about Levi, it was that the man cared for him even though he rarely showed it. Over the years, he had learned that Levi never really showed his emotions out right, but rather, he hid them under an expressionless mask. But, he still knew when his friend was feeling upset or worried or even happy because he had taught himself to see past the mask, and that’s how he knew his words were starting to get to his small friend. And, he knew just what to say as the ‘icing on the cake’.

            “It would be very bothersome if I had to miss work due to illness,” Erwin concluded, feeling a small smile tug at his lips as he watched Levi’s shoulders fall.

            “Alright,” Levi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose from the feeling of an oncoming migraine. “I’ll help.”

            “Quite a quick change of heart,” Erwin noted as they approached the mall.

            “Yea, well I have to make sure you don’t somehow get yourself killed looking for this boy. It would suck if I had to do your job on top of mine because you died from hypothermia or some shit.” Levi stepped through the automatic doors of the mall then turned to face the blond. “Just one night, Erwin.” He muttered sternly. “I can’t be out every night searching for some boy based off a judgment.”

            “Then, we will just have to find him tonight,” Erwin smiled before offering a small wave to the shorter male. “I will call you later to tell you the meeting location,” he added before stopping to pop into the candle store to see about their new shipment.

            “Dammit,” Levi whispered under his breath as he stepped around the many customers moving about. His head was pounding and he found himself regretting this decision the more he thought about it. Why should he have to go out into the cold to look for some brat that could be curled up all snug in his bed in his freaking home? Granted, he did agree to it, but that was only because he was worried for his friend. He only had a few people that he truly cared about in his life, and Erwin was one of them.

            Pushing open his office door with a loud huff, Levi trudged inside, slipping his coat off then carefully draping it around his chair before collapsing into the chair. He propped his feet up and closed his eyes, massaging his temples to ease the pounding headache.

            “Damn brat,” he muttered under his breath, letting out an audible groan as he thought back to the boy sitting on the edge of the fountain.

* * *

 

            Levi pulled into the parking spot beside Erwin’s car- or rather his reserved parking spot because Erwin decided it would be best to meet at the mall since that is the last place he saw the boy. He combed his fingers through his hair and let a soft sigh escape his lips before wrapping his dark green scarf tightly around his neck- trying to fend off the cold that was already chilling his bones.

            He reluctantly opened his car door and stepped out into the bitter November air, taking the time to shoot a glare towards the blond approaching him before slamming the door. He shoved his hands deep into his coat pockets just as Erwin gestured for them to begin walking.

            “I figured we could check all the back alleys and some of the gas stations that are nearby.” Erwin glanced at his watch. “It’s nine now, so that gives us about three hours to look.”

            “Three hours..?” Levi glanced up at the blond with wide eyes. “I don’t think I can last three fucking hours out here, Erwin,” he hissed through trembling lips. How many times is he going to have to tell people that he does not handle the cold well before they listen? Is he going to have to literally freeze to death just to get them to believe him?

            “You can have my coat,” Erwin suggested before moving his hands to undo the clasps.

            “No,” Levi grumbled before picking up his speed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

            The two began their search, carefully checking each alley they came across within three miles of the mall. They entered six or seven gas stations, describing the boy to each attendant, only to exit each one with no new knowledge then when they had entered.

            Two and a half hours had passed and Levi could no longer feel his fingers despite his gloves or his feet despite his wool socks and boots. But, he never uttered another word of complaint because he could sense Erwin’s growing desperation to find the boy, and he knew whining would only cause the blond to snap. So, he kept his mouth shut and braced his body against the cold as they made it through the last thirty minutes of their search, coming up without the boy and without any leads.

            “Erwin?” Levi glanced up at the blond as they approached their vehicles. He had been growing more and more concerned for the man as the night went on, taking note on how his optimism decreased by the hour as well as his strained calls for the boy.

            “I feel like I’ve failed him,” Erwin muttered under his breath as he leaned against his car. He wanted to find and save this boy more than anything. He was well aware that he was searching based off a hunch, but he couldn’t shake off this gut-wrenching feeling that the boy was in fact homeless and could now be lying in a ditch somewhere.

            “He’s not your responsibility,” Levi spoke quietly. “You really shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.” He would admit; he’s not the best at consoling people. He would rather state the fact and suggest for the person to move on then to pat the person on the back and say something stupid to try and make them feel more at peace.

            “He’s just a boy,” Erwin exclaimed. “And, I’m the reason he left the mall in the first place.”

            “No, you told him he could stay. He made the decision to leave on his own.” Levi was about to continue his side of the discussion but the sound of a phone ringing cut him off. He watched as the blond pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tilted his head to the side in question when the blond let out a loud groan.

            “Sis?” Erwin asked the person on the other line.

            “Oh, the woman with the fifty million kids,” Levi muttered under his breath, ignoring the exaggerated gestures to be silent from Erwin.

            “Oh, that was Levi. He was curious about how you are doing.” Erwin cast Levi a warning glance as he spoke into the phone.

            Levi huffed then decided he might as well check his own phone- not that he would have any missed calls or messages; he never does. He felt around in his pocket, only to stop after a few seconds, eyes widening before slowly closing as he let a noisy sigh escape his lips. “Dammit,” he cursed under his breath. It wasn’t that he lost the damn thing; he knew exactly where it was- sitting on his desk right beside his computer where he accidentally left it. “Give me your keys,” Levi whispered as he approached the blond.

            “What? A gas leak in your apartment building?” Erwin questioned the woman on the phone as he reached in his pocket for the keys to the mall. “You are on your way to my house with the children right now?!”

            Levi nearly dropped the keys at the sound of the shouting that erupted from the blond man. He soon found himself snickering at the thought that Erwin was going to be stuck in his house with his sister and her many, many children- eight little brats is too many brats, in his opinion.

            “Yes, yes. I’m on my way right now.” Erwin shut his phone and quickly unlocked his car. “Why are you going back into the mall?” He asked as he hopped onto the driver’s seat.

            “My phone is on my desk,” Levi answered as he turned to make his way to mall’s side entrance. He knew he could live one night without the damn thing, but he also wondered if maybe Hanji had called him for some reason. Either way, he needed to check.

            “I have to leave. My sister and her children will be staying with me for a few days. Return my keys to me tomorrow,” Erwin ordered before shutting his door and turning his key in the ignition. He waved to the shorter man before throwing the car in reverse then exiting the parking lot.

            Levi watched as Erwin zoomed onto the street, wincing at the sound of tires screeching before walking over to the side entrance, twisting the key in the lock and quietly pushing the door open. He took pleasure in the silence as he started towards his office, slowing his pace at times to examine a few areas prone to filth.

            Levi had already gotten used to the silence after just a few minutes, so a sound echoing from the mattress store he was standing beside caught him off guard.

            ‘What the hell,’ he thought to himself as he slowly backed away from a bench he had been examining. Truthfully, he wasn’t frightened because he knew could take on a burglar or even ten burglars if needed. It wasn’t like kicking a few asses was hard to him- just rather annoying.

            He contemplated ignoring the sound because he would much rather be home, curled up on his warm bed, but found himself approaching the store entrance, mentally questioning why they haven’t had gates installed to lock to stores over night.

            Pausing just before the entrance, he took in a deep breath, carefully listening for any other noises. When he heard none, he decided that maybe it was a trick of the ears, so he spun around and started walking in the direction of his office, only to stop seconds later upon hearing another sound- this one much more audible than the first.

            He replayed the sound in his head over and over. It almost sounded like a choking sound or maybe a poor attempt at suppressing a cough… ‘Cough?’ He wondered to himself.

            “Shit,” Levi cursed aloud as he spun on his heel, quickly storming into the mattress store. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoys!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

           

            Words could not even begin to express how annoyed Levi was. He found himself silently praying that the sound did in fact come from a burglar and not from some brat. But, he soon discovered that his prayers had been unanswered as he rounded a corner and saw a young boy huddled against a wall. The boy was almost completely hidden by the various mattress displays, but Levi’s eyes were sharp, so naturally he spotted the boy instantly.

            It was dark in the store, and Levi thought for a brief second that maybe, just maybe, the boy wouldn’t be the same boy he had just spent the last three freaking hours searching for in the cold, but that thought was quickly dismissed when the boy slowly stood up-keeping his back pressed firmly against the wall.

            “Dammit,” Levi cursed under his breath as he stepped closer to take in the boy’s features- same shaggy brown hair, same torn clothing, same sho… Levi’s eye’s widened at the boy’s bare feet. “You aren’t wearing shoes,” he pointed out as he examined the boy’s filthy, pale feet. His eye’s shifted to the floor of the store, shuddering at the thought of a potential footprint trail littering the once spotless tiles.

            The boy stared at the man before him- who appeared to be growing more irritated by the second. He was confused that out of all the things the man could have said, he simply chose to point out his lack of shoes, but he was also thankful that the man chose that instead of an alternative- such as yelling at him or worse, beating him up.

            He wanted to apologize to the man, but his throat wouldn’t allow it. It wasn’t that he was too afraid to speak- the man before him did not seem nearly as intimidating as he had moments before. It was that his throat felt so sore and raw, and he didn’t trust that his voice would come out any louder than a low whisper. So, he chose to stay silent as he watched the shorter man crouch down and run his hand across the floor tiles.

            Minutes passed and the boy realized that the man before him had no intentions of turning his attention elsewhere for quite some time. The man, he noticed, seemed way too occupied examining every single tile in the store, so the boy made the quick decision to try to carefully slip past the man and run out of the mall.

            However, He didn’t make it three steps before the man was up and walking towards him- shooting daggers with his eyes. The boy stumbled back, falling against the wall once again. He squeezed his eyes shut and wished the wall would simply disappear behind him- anything to get him away from the man that was rapidly approaching.

            He realized he needed to say something… anything. He needed to explain to the man that he wasn’t trying to steal and that it would never happen again and that he was terribly sorry for any inconveniences, but he was afraid that opening his mouth would result in another coughing fit, and he didn’t want to cough all over the man that he could sense was now inches before his face.  Instead, he concentrated on his breathing and attempted to still his trembling body before he forced his eyes open to meet eyes with the shorter man.

            Levi had to tilt his head up slightly to meet the turquoise eyes before him. He shifted his eyes across the boy’s face before taking one step back. The boy, he noted, was truly sick. His face was terribly flushed and his eyes appeared glossy and he looked as if he may collapse at any moment. But, unlike Erwin, Levi didn’t have a soft spot for children, or well for anybody for that matter- with the exception of Erwin, Hanji and a select few coworkers. So, he wasn’t about to suppress his anger because the boy was unwell.

            “Do you have any idea how long we searched for you, brat?” Levi hissed, meeting the boy’s eyes once more. “Three fucking hours,” Levi continued. “We walked around in the cold for three fucking hours looking for you.” He kept his tone matching an inside voice because he felt that yelling was a bit distasteful. “But, here you are,” he waved his hand, motioning towards the store, “resting comfortably in my mall.”

            The boy took in each word cautiously, only to be left feeling confused. Why was this man out searching for him? And, who is ‘we’? He had to say something; he had to offer some sort of response. He wanted to know why this man had been looking for him.

            “I-” the boy croaked, realizing the mistake as soon as the single word left his mouth. He used one hand to grab at the wall while his other hand flew clumsily over his mouth. The coughs that began racking his body were harsh and painful, and he could feel his knees buckling. He clutched at the wall for support as he forced himself to stay upright. He didn’t want to pass out now knowing full and well that he wouldn’t like where he woke up.

            Levi took a few steps back as he watched the boy struggle through the coughing fit. He felt an odd pang in his chest but quickly dismissed it. He was pissed. There was no room for concern. Locating a wall to lounge against, Levi crossed his arms and waited for the boy to recover before deciding his next actions.

            Once the room was once again filled with silence aside from the boy’s soft pants, Levi pushed himself away from the wall and spun on his heel, starting towards the store’s exit. “Let’s go,” he called over his shoulder, stopping once to make sure the boy was following him.

* * *

 

            A soft click was heard as Levi twisted the key in the lock to his office door. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, making a beeline for his cell phone. Upon reaching his phone, the dark-haired male spun around to see the boy leaning against the door frame- eyes drooping as he tried to regain his breath. Levi let out a noisy sigh before flipping his phone open, muttering a few curse words as he quickly scrolled through the twelve messages from Hanji- none, he realized, pertained to work. After finally making it through all of the messages, he quickly punched in Erwin’s number, praying that the blond would answer.

            “Erwin.” Levi spoke into the phone after the fourth ring. “I’ve got that brat.” He pulled the phone away from his ear momentarily upon hearing the shouts from the blond on the other line. “Dammit, Erwin. You don’t have to yell.” He waited for the blond to finish before continuing. “Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he’s alright, but he’s alive, so I suppose that counts.”

            The boy’s eyes widened in disbelief as he listened to the man talk. He could tell that this man really didn’t care about him at all and was only helping him because of whoever was on the other line. He finally gave into his shaking knees, sliding down against the door frame. His whole body hurt and he just wanted to sleep for days, but he willed his mind to stay active, once again concentrating on the phone conversation.

            Levi glanced at the boy on the floor while he listened to Erwin hound him with questions. “I don’t know how he got into the mall,” He began again. “I guess he hid somewhere until closing. We need to up the security.” He waited again for the blond to take his turn speaking. “I don’t know his name,” Levi groaned, “he hasn’t really been all that successful in forming coherent sentences.”

            The boy blinked rapidly as his vision began to blur. He mentally screamed at himself to stay awake, but his effort proved fruitless.

            Levi watched as the boy’s bobbing head finally dropped- chin against his chest. “Wait, hang on, Erwin. I think he just fainted.” Levi set the phone back on his desk as he made his way to the boy, crouching down in front of him. He lightly slapped the boy’s burning cheeks a few times before concluding that the boy was unconscious.

            He eased himself back up and walked back over to his desk, snatching his phone up once again. “Yea, he’s out,” he spoke into the phone. He listened then continued. “I’m going to take him to your place. I’ll be there shortly.” He snapped his phone shut before the blond had any time to protest. The dark-haired male slid his phone into his pant pocket before turning his attention towards the boy, pondering how he should get the boy from point A, his office, to point B, his car.

            He swiftly made his way back to the boy, nudging said boy with his foot a few times before letting out a loud groan at the lack of response. He didn’t want to have to carry the boy, but he was all out of options. He couldn’t carry the boy on his back because a) he was too tall and b) it would be a hassle making sure he didn’t slide off. He couldn’t toss him over his shoulder again due to his height as well as the fact that Levi figured the upside down position would only worsen the boy’s condition. So, that left him with one other option- an option he wasn’t too fond of.

            With a noisy sigh, Levi bent down, scooping the boy up bridal style. A loud gasp slipped past his lips at how easy it was to lift the boy. The brat was, Levi believed, a teenager, so it shouldn’t feel like he was carrying a small child. He was also made more aware of the boy’s condition as he felt the heat that was radiating off of the boy seeping through his heavy coat.

            “Damn brat,” Levi muttered as he hurried out of his office, kicking his door closed.

* * *

 

            The trip from his office to his car took Levi a mere three minutes. He was now successfully balancing the boy with one arm while he used his free hand to unlock the passenger door. Once he managed to pull the door open, he set the boy down onto his passenger seat and reached over him to adjust the seatbelt around his small frame. He was just about to close the door when a soft whimper had him turning back to glance at the boy, noting said boy’s furrowed brows and shivering body.

            Levi allowed another loud groan to escape his lips as he undid the clasps on his coat before slipping it off then tossing it over the boy. He couldn’t see any visible dirt on the coat but he knew it was filthy; it had to be after having a filthy boy pressed against it. So, he might as well let the brat use the coat. He wouldn’t need it in his car anyway because he fully intended to blast the heat. But, he mentally reminded himself to take the coat to the dry cleaners as soon as possible.

            The older male closed the passenger door then raced into the driver’s side. He turned his key into the ignition then clicked his seatbelt as he reached to adjust the heat. Once he was satisfied with the hot air blasting onto his face and arms, he threw the car into reverse and started towards Erwin’s house.

* * *

 

            Levi hated to admit that he had been sneaking glances at the boy the entire way to Erwin’s house. He told himself that he was simply making sure that the boy was still alive; he was pretty sure Erwin would be pissed if he arrived with a dead kid.

            He decided to steal one last glance at the boy while he waited in Erwin’s driveway for said blond to take the brat. Moments later, Levi looked up to see Erwin race down his porch steps with a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder and a thermos in his hand.

            “Hey,” Levi said as the blond pulled the passenger door open. “Why do you have that bag and that cup?”

            Erwin dismissed the question for the time being as he turned all of his attention to the boy. He carefully brushed the boy’s damp bangs away from his forehead before gently pressing the back of his hand against said boy’s forehead, frowning upon contact. He drew his hand away then began to gently shake the boy’s shoulder, sighing in relief when he heard the boy let out a barely audible groan.

            “Can you hear me?” Erwin questioned as he watched the boy’s eyes slowly open.

            The boy gave his eyes time to adjust before nodding. He recognized the blond male kneeling beside him, but he wasn’t sure from where. He figured he would remember eventually.

            “I want you to drink this,” Erwin ordered as he placed the thermos up to the boy’s lips. “It will help with your throat.”

            The boy parted his lips and allowed the blond man to tilt the cup, closing his eyes as he welcomed the warm liquid sliding down his throat. “Thank you,” he muttered after the blond pulled the cup away. He found it slightly easier to talk and was very relieved because now he could finally get some answers.

            “What’s your name?” Erwin asked as he deemed it safe to allow the boy to handle the thermos by himself.

            “Eren,” the boy answered before taking another sip from the thermos. He reminded himself to keep his answers limited; he didn’t know these two men, and although they were helping him now, they could still be dangerous. It was better, he believed, to remain on edge for the time being.

            “Well Eren,” Erwin began, “I’m Erwin. We already met in the mall a couple of days ago. And, this is my friend Levi.” Erwin motioned towards Levi but kept his eyes locked on Eren.

            “Erwin.” Levi caught the blond’s attention. “Is there a reason why you are doing all of this out here and not inside? And, would you please tell me what’s in the bag?”

            Erwin once again ignored his friend’s questions. He knew his friend wasn’t going to like the answers, so he was putting it off for as long as he could, and he wasn’t finished speaking with Eren just yet. “Do you have a home, Eren?” Erwin raised his eyebrows as he watched the boy’s gaze drop to the floor of the car.

            “I manage,” was all Eren decided to offer.

            “Tch. Yeah, right.” Levi gestured towards Eren. “So you call _this_ ‘managing’?” He poked at a hole in Eren’s now somewhat exposed shirt- if it could even be called that.

            Eren pushed the coat that was draped across him away and reached to undo his seatbelt. “I’m very thankful for your help, but I’m fine.” He turned and began to step out of the car but was shoved back against the seat by Erwin- an action that caused not only Eren’s eyes to widen, but also Levi’s.

            “Erwin?” Levi wasn’t used to seeing his friend be aggressive towards anyone, so he was honestly confused by the blond’s actions.

            “Eren, you do realize that you weren’t even conscious just a few minutes ago, right?” Erwin held his hand up to stop the boy from protesting. “You most certainly are not fine, Eren. So, let us help you.” He finished with his typical calming voice.

            Eren met eyes with the blond as he contemplated on if he should trust the two men. They didn’t seem like they would hurt him. Well, the blond man didn’t seem harmful at least. He wasn’t too sure about the other man.

            “Please,” Erwin began again as he was greeted with silence. “I would feel much better knowing that you were safely resting in a warm bed rather than on a cold floor.”

            “Why?” Eren asked, taking a second to glance at the man in the driver’s seat. “Why were you searching for me?”

            “There will be a time for answers, Eren.” Erwin assured the boy. “But right now you need a hot bath and a lot of rest. You are very ill.”

            Hearing that small three-letter word reminded Eren of his pounding head and aching body- both which he managed to push aside so he could keep himself tense and aware around the two men. He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed a palm against his sweaty forehead. “O-okay,” he finally answered.

            “Excellent,” Erwin let out a relived sigh as he pulled Levi’s coat back over the boy.

            “What are you doing, Erwin?” Levi watched as the blond reached down for the duffel bag. “Why aren’t you taking him inside?”

            “Eren’s going with you to your apartment,” Erwin answered before closing the passenger door.

            Levi quickly undid his seatbelt then threw his door open, jumping out of the car then slamming the door. “What?” He questioned through gritted teeth as Erwin walked over to him. “Why the hell can’t he stay with you?”

            “I can’t keep him here with my sister’s kids,” Erwin noted. “It would be too crowded and he wouldn’t get enough rest from all of the noise. And besides, you have a very nice guest bedroom.”

            “Shit,” Levi cursed aloud before leaning against the car.

            Eren watched the two men talking outside of the car. He didn’t know why he couldn’t stay with the blond, who was, in his opinion, a hell of a lot nicer than the shorter man. He contemplated making a run for it while the two men were distracted, but quickly dismissed the thought after choking back a cough. There was no way he could outrun two seemingly fit men in this condition. It would, he guessed, be better to wait until he was well enough before he tried to plan an escape.

            “It will only be for a few days,” Erwin reassured the dark-haired man. “Four days max.”

            Levi glanced at his watch reading one a.m. “Fine. Four days, and that’s it.” He muttered under his breath. He was exhausted and just wanted to go home, put the brat to bed, and then curl up onto his own bed.

            “Great,” Erwin smiled as he handed Levi the duffel bag. “I put some of my old clothes in here because I figured Eren wouldn’t fit in yours.”

            Levi nodded as he accepted the bag.

            “And, I hate to ask, but could you trim his hair?”

            “…What?” Levi looked up at the blond with a look of genuine confusion mixed with building aggravation.

            “Just trim it in the back and trim his bangs to where they aren’t covering his eyes. I think it would make him feel more comfortable.” Erwin placed his hand on Levi’s shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. “It won’t be hard, Levi. Hot bath, hair trim, and then bed. And, if you need me, you can call me at any time. I know I will be calling you occasionally to check up on him.”

            “Fucking perfect,” Levi mumbled as he shrugged Erwin’s hand off his shoulder, offering a slight nod to the blond before said blond gave one last wave to Eren and then started back towards his house.

            Levi tossed the duffel bag onto his back seat then slid onto the driver’s seat, turning to meet eyes with Eren. “Guess we’re going to my place, brat.”

            That being said, Levi pulled out of Erwin’s driveway and began driving in the direction of his apartment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments so far!  
> I'm glad everyone seems to be liking it  
> And, sorry if there are any grammar errors I may have missed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

            “The guest bedroom is the second door on the left,” Levi muttered as he pointed down a hallway in his apartment. He shoved the duffle bag into Eren’s arms then ushered him down the hall.

            “And brat?” Levi called out to the retreating boy, who reluctantly looked over his shoulder at the shorter male. “Don’t drag your feet. I still have shit to do when you get out.” That being said, Levi waved Eren away before turning to try to locate a pair of scissors.

            It took longer than Levi thought to actually find a pair of scissors. After ten minutes of searching, he started to think that maybe he didn’t even own a pair, but that thought was soon pushed away when he finally found an old pair buried deep in stray first aid kit. He wasn’t entirely sure why there was a pair of scissors in a first aid kit or why he even had a first aid kit, but at this point, he lacked the ability to care about anything other than a hot shower and sleep. He couldn’t even muster up the energy to be pissed at Erwin like he wanted to be, so he mentally decided to save that currently dismissed anger until he’s had at least eight full hours of sleep.

            Levi collapsed onto his couch, pinching the bridge of his nose from an oncoming migraine. He allowed a breathy sigh to escape his lips upon hearing the faint sound of the bathwater from the guest bathroom. He was just about to close his eyes but was interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket.  With a noisy sigh and a mumbled string of curse words, he fished his phone out of his pocket, groaning at the name “Erwin” flashing on the front of his screen.

            “What?” Levi growled into the phone; he was way too exhausted to be friendly at this point. He waited for the blond to ask his many questions before continuing. “Yes, he’s fine I guess. He’s in the bath right now.” He paused again while the blond piled on more questions. “No, Erwin,” he huffed. “I haven’t forgotten that I’m supposed to give him a damn haircut like I’m a fucking hairstylist or something.” He felt himself growing annoyed at the reminders from the blond. He knew what to do already- cut the brat’s hair and make sure he doesn’t die. It’s not hard; he was just highly frustrated that the brat was dumped on him in the first place- so frustrated that he had contemplated paying to speed up the gas leak getting fixed in Erwin’s sister’s apartment building just to get rid of the kid faster.

            “What?” He asked into the phone after hearing his name being called out a few times. “Yea, I’m fine if you can look past the fact that I’m fucking exhausted and it’s almost two in the morning.” He waited before continuing. “No,” he sighed upon hearing Erwin’s apology. “Don’t apologize. I’m just snappy because I’m tired. Don’t worry, I won’t take it out on the br… Eren.”

            Levi was about to say his goodbye then hang up but Erwin wasn’t finished, so he continued to listen. “Take a vacation day?” He asked the blond, waiting for a response. “No, I’m not going to miss work,” he said to Erwin.

            Levi had never once missed work-not that he’s ever had a reason to miss work. He knew sitting in front of his computer wasn’t much, but it was still his job, and he took pride in his perfect attendance. It’s his mall after all, so he felt that he should be there in case something goes wrong. Of course, he would just tell Erwin to deal with it, but he still needed to be there to tell the blond. And, there was also the fact that Hanji would probably be lost without him there. He found he could list multiple reasons why he needed to be at work while he listened to the blond protest on the other line.

            “Oh, this isn’t about me..? It’s about that brat?” He listened to the one-word reply before continuing. “Yea, Eren. Whatever.” Of course, he thought as Erwin explained what he meant- this was about Eren. The short male was beginning to realize that everything was probably going to be about the brat. “Fine,” he said suddenly, cutting the blond off. “I’ll miss work to make sure the brat doesn’t die.” He listened to the relived “thank you” from the blond before offering a mumbled “yea” then snapping his phone shut, disconnecting the call.

* * *

 

            Eren lifted his head out from the water, searching with his eyes for a towel. He didn’t want to leave the warm bath; it was the first bath he had had in a very long time, and it helped with his aching body considerably. But, he remembered Levi’s order to be quick, so he reluctantly got to his feet, stepping out of the bath tub then grabbing for the towel. He could already feel his muscles protesting at the temperature change, so he forced himself to dry off quickly before rummaging through the duffle bag, locating a baggy shirt, an equally baggy pair of sweat pants and to his surprise, an unopened pack of men’s boxers that looked close to his size.

            He threw the clothes on, draping a towel over his shoulder to prevent his shirt from getting wet before reaching for the doorknob, halting momentarily to relish in the steamy bathroom. He

He then turned the doorknob and pulled the door open, stepping out into cooler guest bedroom. He wanted to simply crawl into the bed and sleep, but he needed to go see Levi first, so he slowly started towards the door, silently hoping that this meeting with the shorter male wouldn’t take long.

* * *

 

            Levi’s eyes zeroed in on Eren, who was approaching him. He carefully studied the boy, noting how his cheeks were still tinged with red and how his body was trembling slightly even after the hot bath. The dark-haired male gestured to the cup of water and medicine bottle resting on his coffee table. “Take one,” he muttered.

            Eren cautiously picked up the bottle, carefully reading the label as well as unscrewing the cap to examine the pills. He knew that out of the two men that were searching for him, the man he got stuck with wasn’t very fond of him, so he couldn’t rule out the option that the shorter male might try something to harm him.

            “It’s not poison, you brat,” Levi grumbled, catching Eren’s attention. “If I were going to poison you, I would make it more interesting than _that,”_ he added, motioning towards the bottle.

            Eren set the bottle back onto the table. “I don’t need it,” he mumbled under his breath. He mentally reminded himself that taking medicine might knock him out for days and that’s entirely too long. He was grateful for the help, but he had already made up his mind that he would not be staying for long- the sole reasons being that he knew nothing about these two men and more importantly that he didn’t want to be in debt to anyone. He planned to stay just long enough to rest up a bit. After that, he would leave; he knew he could manage on his own. He always did.

            “Fine, don’t take any and stay sick,” Levi griped before grabbing the scissors that he had set beside him. “Now hurry up and get your ass into the kitchen so I can get this over with.” He held the scissors up, letting a loud sigh pass through his lips as he watched Eren back away.

            “Get what over with?!” Eren questioned as he desperately looked around for a weapon. He knew it; he knew these men couldn’t be trusted. And now, he needed to get out as fast as possible; he didn’t care about getting answers anymore. All he cared about was escaping with his life. After regaining his balance, he turned on his heel, preparing to bolt towards the door, only to be stopped by a firm grasp on his wrist. He felt his blood boiling and acted on instinct- using his free hand to take a swing at the shorter man.

            Levi easily dodged the punch but found his eyes widening at the force behind it. This brat, he realized, gets more confusing by the second. He didn’t understand how some kid who was really sick could throw such a punch in his condition. But, he didn’t have time to ponder that. Instead, he lifted one leg and kicked it under Eren’s feet, knocking said boy to his knees. He then successfully caught hold of the boy’s other flailing arm and pinned both arms behind his back. “Calm the fuck down,” he hissed into Eren’s ear.

            “Why?” Eren asked through gritted teeth. “So you can kill me with those fucking scissors?”

            Levi was taken aback at the boy’s anger. This, he thought to himself, was not the same boy from before. He was genuinely shocked by the different side of the brat but decided to ignore it for now. He could tell Erwin about it later, but now, he just wanted to get all of this bullshit over with so he could shower then sleep.

            “No,” Levi groaned as he stood up, pressing one foot against Eren’s back then applying pressure to knock the boy all the way to the floor, “to cut your fucking hair.” That being said, he spun around, snatching the scissors that had gotten thrown to the floor when he had to hurry to catch the brat before making his way to his kitchen.

            Eren was speechless. He couldn’t comprehend how Levi had gotten to him so quickly or where the strength the shorter male possessed came from. But, he knew one thing. Escaping wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought, so he figured it would be best to do as the dark-haired male said, for now.

            So, Eren slowly pushed himself up off the floor, pausing to wait for the room to stop spinning before stumbling into the kitchen.

* * *

 

            Levi motioned to the chair placed in front of him, watching as Eren staggered to the chair and collapsed on it. The shorter male then put one hand on the back of Eren’s head, forcing said boy’s head forward so he could begin trimming the back of his hair. He snipped away at the ends of Eren’s hair, surprising himself at how well he was at this considering it was his first time. Once the back was finished, he carefully collected every fallen strand of hair and tossed it into the trashcan sitting beside him.

            Levi then moved to trim the hair covering Eren’s ears. He was told to just trim the back and the bangs, but he wanted everything to be even, so he decided to put in slightly more effort. After everything, at least he could say that he gave the brat a damn good haircut.

            Once finished with the sides, Levi moved to stand in front of Eren. He gripped the boy’s chin, jerking his head upward. He could feel the heat radiating from Eren’s face on his fingers and he frowned, mentally telling himself to make this fast before the brat keeled over right in front of him. Levi cautiously cut the ends of Eren’s bangs until they were no longer hiding said boy’s eyes. He took a few steps back to admire his handiwork; he thought that if he didn’t own a mall than he could have been a hell of a hairdresser.

            “Dry your hair then go to bed,” Levi ordered as he threw a dry towel that had been resting on the kitchen table at the boy. He turned his attention to cleaning up all of the cut hair while Eren rubbed the warm towel over his now shorter hair.

            After deciding his hair was dry enough, Eren carefully stood up, quickly grabbing the edge of the table to steady himself. He took in a few shaky breaths as he waited for the dizziness to pass before slowly turning towards the living room.

            “Hey brat,” Levi said suddenly, causing Eren to flinch. “I’m not going to force you to because I really don’t care but,” he paused, motioning towards the medicine bottle and the glass of water still resting atop his coffee table, “you should take some of that to help with the fever.” That being said, he quickly walked past the boy, who was now clutching the wall for support. Levi ignored this and walked into his own bedroom without another word.

* * *

 

            Eren pulled the covers back on the guest bed, climbing onto the soft bed before pulling the blankets back up to his chin. He could already feel his headache lessening due to the medicine, and his eyelids were growing heavier by the second. So, he shut his eyes but mentally reminded himself to only sleep for a few hours. If he was going to escape, he was going to have to do it while the shorter man was sleeping.

            He could feel his mind drifting off as he fell into the first comfortable slumber that he’s had in a long time.

* * *

 

            Levi crawled into bed, feeling refreshed after his shower. He grabbed his phone off his nightstand, typing out ‘you owe me big time’ to Erwin then hitting send.

            Once his phone was back on the nightstand, Levi collapsed against his plush pillows, allowing sleep to take over instantly.

* * *

 

            The blaring ringtone had Levi bolting up in bed. He clumsily reached for his phone- narrowed eyes widening at the clock reading five p.m. “Hello?” He asked into the phone- voice slightly raspy. “Ah, Erwin…” He cleared his throat as he shifted to drop his feet onto the floor. “Yea, I didn’t mean to sleep this long,” he admitted to the blond on the other line as he rubbed the back of his neck. He heard the blond bring up the text, prompting him to respond, “Well, the brat wasn’t really cooperative.” He waited, listening to Erwin ask the question he expected the blond to ask before continuing. “He thought I was going to kill him with the scissors.” He jerked the phone away from his ear at the loud ‘what’ that erupted from the other line. “You heard me,” Levi griped while standing up. “I had to fucking tackle the brat to get him to calm down.”

            Levi walked over to turn his bedroom light on while he listened to the blond. “No, I didn’t fucking hurt him,” he groaned as he stared at his disheveled hair in his mirror. He sighed after listening to Erwin shout some more. “Yea, I’ll go make sure the shitty brat is still breathing.”

            Levi opened his door then shuffled over to the guest bedroom door, resting his hand on the doorknob. “I don’t actually know if he took any medicine. He thought that was poison,” he responded to the blond’s question as he turned the doorknob, shoving the door open.

            Levi felt around for the light switch, flipping it on once his fingers brushed against it. His eyes widened at the perfectly made bed without a certain brat lying in it. He shifted his eyes to the clothes Eren was wearing when he had gone to bed folded neatly on top of the duffle bag resting at the end of the bed. He fell back against the doorframe, sighing loudly.

            “What?” Levi asked into the phone after a few silent moments. He knew what Erwin was going to ask and he had to make a decision now. “No, nothing’s wrong. The brat is still asleep.” He lied to the blond. “Yea, I’ll call you when he wakes up.” That being said, he snapped his phone shut and let out a mumbled string of curses before turning to go back into his room to change while trying to decide which areas the brat may have gone to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammar errors I may have missed


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

            Levi carefully checked every room in his apartment for the fifth time before finally deeming that the brat had in fact left. He still hadn’t decided where exactly to look for the brat, and on top of that, he didn’t even know how long the kid had been gone. For all he knew, Eren could be long gone by now. But still, he felt he needed to find him- for Erwin’s sake that is.

            Levi reached over and snatched his car keys off of the table by the door leading into and out of his apartment before flipping the light switch. He then twisted the doorknob and pulled the door open, stepping out of his apartment and starting towards his car.

* * *

 

            The first place the dark-haired man decided to check was the nearest gas station. He figured maybe the brat was too sick to get far, so maybe said brat decided to take refuge in the nearest building that wasn’t the apartment building. But, much to Levi’s dismay, the two people behind the counter assured that they had not seen a boy based on Levi’s description- tallish with brown hair and bright, turquoise eyes.

            So, Levi went back to his car and contemplated on giving up right then and there. He gave up so much of his time for the brat, and for what? So he could just run away a few hours later? But, Levi’s mind kept wandering back to Erwin, and, after a few moments, he decided that he would be the world’s shittiest friend if he didn’t find the brat.

            While turning his key in the ignition, he figured he would use his friendship with Erwin as his motivation to find Eren- or rather, as the motivation to at least search for another hour or so.

* * *

 

            Four gas stations, two restaurants, and twelve alleyways later, Levi was pretty sure that Eren had fallen off the face of the planet. He didn’t understand how some sick kid could get so far, so quickly. Granted, he didn’t actually know when Eren had escaped, but he assumed the brat was smart enough to sleep at least a few hours before making his big getaway. But, then again, maybe he wasn’t that smart considering he chose to make his grand escape in the old, torn clothes he was found in rather than the clothes he was given by Erwin. Regardless, Levi knew he had to find the dumb brat quickly because as the day grew later, the temperature dropped, and Levi was not about to have another night of searching in the freezing cold for some kid with no leads.

            With a map pulled up on his GPS, Levi mentally checked off all of the places he had searched. But, his focus was soon broken by the sound of children laughing. Allowing a loud groan to escape through his lips, he looked out his car window to see a group of kids running out of a nearby playground before turning back to his GPS-which was not showing the playground on the map.

            He locked his GPS away in his glove compartment before getting out of his car, swiftly making his way to the small playground entrance. Upon walking through the rusty gates, his eyes fell onto a boy sitting on the ground beside a swing set.

            “You really are an idiot,” Levi said as he approached the boy. He thoroughly dusted off the swing before very carefully sitting on it, gripping the chains out of fear that the old swing set may collapse at any moment.

            Eren looked at the shorter man before attempting to stand, only to fall back to the ground just as quickly as he tried to push himself up. “You found me just to insult me?” He questioned- voice slightly raspy.

            Levi let out a breathy laugh before snapping his head to the right, shooting a piercing gaze at the brunet. “That was nothing. I could give you a real insult if you want.” He cocked an eyebrow as if giving an invitation for the boy to retort.

            “No thanks,” Eren mumbled, choking back a cough. He took to fiddling with a piece of grass in front of him, focusing his attention on anything but the man. He wanted to run; he wanted to run as long as it took to get away from this man because he didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust anyone anymore. But, his body wouldn’t allow it, so instead, he mentally cursed at himself for being so weak.

            “Well, are you done moping so we can go? It’s fucking cold out here.” Levi rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he watched Eren’s face turn into a look of disbelief. “What?”

            “I left for a reason,” Eren began. “I don’t want to go back with you.” He plucked a piece of grass from in front of him then tossed it away. “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

            Levi sighed noisily before cautiously sliding off of the swing. He moved until he was standing right in front of Eren, crouching down so he could be eye level with the boy. Lifting one hand, he wrapped his gloved fingers around the boy’s jaw line, jerking said boy’s face up so they could meet eyes. “Believe me,” he hissed. “I don’t want to take you back with me, but for whatever fucking reason, Erwin wants to help you.” He could feel the boy struggling against his grip, so he jabbed his gloved fingers deeper into said boy’s skin. “So, you need to quit being a shitty brat and accept our help.”

            “Why do I not get a say in this?” Eren questioned through gritted teeth, finding it difficult to get his words out with the hand tightly gripping his face.

            “If we were to let you have a say in this, then you would choose to continue living on the streets and probably be dead by morning,” Levi responded harshly. “Do you really want that? Do you really want to die?”

            Eren reached up with one hand and latched it onto Levi’s wrist, trying with all his might to pull the hand away from his face. However, his efforts proved fruitless; the man before him was frighteningly strong despite his small stature. He let his hand fall back to the ground in defeat then squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to look at the man.

            “No response, huh?” Levi’s eyes darted across the boy’s face. “Well, sorry if that’s what you want, but I can’t let that happen. Now, quit being a little shit and get up.” He released his grip on the boy’s face then stood up. Seconds later, his phone began vibrating in his pocket, so he fished it out and groaned at the name ‘Erwin’ flashing on the screen.

            “What? I told you he’s sleeping.” Levi said as soon as he pressed the phone to his ear.

            Eren’s brows furrowed upon hearing the man’s words, realizing that said man decided to lie about him leaving.

            “No, Erwin. It isn’t necessary for you to come all the way to my apartment to check on him. He’s still alive, so I think I’m doing just fine.” Levi said to the blond on the other line-annoyance dripping off his voice.

            The next words that came from the blond on the other line had Levi’s eyes widening in panic. “Well, how far away are you from the apartment?” He questioned the blond. “Fifteen minutes… Okay, I will see you in a bit, then.” That being said, Levi snapped his phone shut and looked down at the boy still planted firmly on the ground.

            “We need to go now,” Levi griped as he leaned down, grabbing onto Eren’s arm and yanking said boy to his feet. “I’m glad you have finally decided to stop being an idiot,” he added upon noting how the boy didn’t even try to fight him.

            Truthfully, Eren wanted to fight, and his mind was screaming at him to fight, but his body wasn’t allowing it. He was having enough trouble just staying conscious. So, he reluctantly let Levi lead him to said man’s car; he mentally told himself that as soon as he could, he would explain to the blond man that he’s grateful for the help but wants to leave. He figured he had a better chance at leaving if he talked to the blond man as opposed to the one who was currently roughly shoving him into the passenger seat.

            Levi slammed the passenger door and practically jumped over the hood of his car to get to the driver’s side. He had to beat Erwin to his apartment; he was at risk of getting one of Erwin’s long, scolding lectures if he didn’t. And, honestly, he wasn’t in the mood to listen to the blond tell him all about how he couldn’t take care of the brat.

            Starting the car like his life depended on it, Levi switched the car into drive, slamming on the gas as he made a U-turn. He ignored the loud sounds of his tires screeching as straightened his car and started towards his apartment.

* * *

 

            Levi made it to his apartment within three minutes.  While Levi was feeling like he had just won a national race, Eren was fairly sure he was going to be sick any second now.  His stomach was in knots, and he concluded due to the sharp pain in his head that his head had bashed against the window at least ten times. Regardless, the younger boy had to admit that even though he felt as if he was about to vomit all over the passenger side of the car, he was still impressed at how Levi managed to get both of them to the apartment without endangering anyone but themselves.

            Levi parked the car and hopped out of the driver’s seat, racing to pull open the passenger door. One look at the kid had Levi stepping back a safe distance away. “Are you going to throw up?” He questioned Eren, who was leaning outside of the car, clutching onto the open door for support.

            “Just.” Eren managed to breathe out. “Give me.” He continued, finding it way more difficult to talk than he had imagined. “A minute.” He finally finished, pressing his lips together while slowly breathing in and out through his nose.

            “We don’t have a minute,” Levi groaned. “If you are going to throw up then do it. Just not in my car.” He began motioning towards the ground outside of his car but stopped when he saw Eren weakly wave his hand.  

            “I’m fine,” Eren grunted as he used the open door to pull himself to his feet. His head was swimming, and, after blinking multiple times, he could still see what looked like four Levis approaching him. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut while he waited for the world to still.

            “Let’s go,” Levi ordered, grabbing Eren’s arm. “You can pass out later.” That being said, he began leading- or rather, he began dragging Eren to the elevator.

* * *

 

            Once the two were securely inside Levi’s apartment, the shorter man quickly ushered Eren to the guest bedroom to go change back into the clothes Erwin had given him. Just seconds after Eren had shut door, Levi heard his doorbell ring, shouting “Just a second” as he quickly removed his gloves and coat before making his way to the door. He took in a deep breath then pulled the door open, shooting an annoyed glared to the blond waving at him.

            “Hey,” Levi greeted as he stepped aside, allowing the blond to enter his apartment.

            “Have you been out?” Erwin questioned as he eyed his friend.

            “Why?” Levi cast the blond a skeptical look while he waited for the blond to give his reasoning.

            “Your nose is red,” Erwin pointed out before turning to hang his coat on the coat rack beside the door.

            Levi let out a string of inaudible curses while he poked out his cold nose. He pondered how many lies he could get away with before the blond became suspicious. “I was getting Eren some more medicine.” He finally responded, silently thanking his voice for choosing the perfect time to go monotone.

            “Is he awake?” Erwin asked.

            Before Levi had time to respond, a loud thud sounded from the guest bedroom, causing the two men to glance from each other to the guest bedroom door before storming to the door.

            “Eren?” Erwin called out as he knocked on the door. “Are you alright?” When he was greeted with silence, the blond quickly shoved the door open, staring in horror at the boy lying unconscious on the floor.

            “Eren!” Erwin yelled as he raced to said boy’s side. He examined the boy from head to toe, noting how he only had one sock on half way. He then placed his hand gently onto the boy’s forehead, frowning deeply before turning to look at the perfectly made bed. His brows furrowed as he slowly turned his head to look at the shorter man standing in the doorway.

            “Levi,” Erwin spoke up after a few moments, keeping his voice at a soft yet intense tone. “I think we should talk.”

            Levi mentally cursed at himself as well as at Eren. He supposed lying was out of the question now. So, he let a loud sigh pass through his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose; he then offered the blond one, slight nod before carefully making his way to help with Eren.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

            Levi placed a steaming cup of coffee on the coaster resting atop the kitchen table in front of Erwin. He then took his own coffee cup and moved to sit across from the blond, who had remained silent for a very uncomfortable ten minutes now.

            Once seated, Levi studied the blond as he cautiously sipped his hot coffee. Erwin, he concluded, appeared to be deep in thought, which wasn’t anything new to Levi. He was fairly used to seeing his friend looking as if he was contemplating all of life’s problems on a daily basis. But, Levi couldn’t shake away this nagging feeling of uneasiness. Usually, Erwin was calm and understanding when it came to Levi messing something up- not that he did that often. But, this time, Levi realized, felt different.

            However, the shorter man was prepared to argue his case until he could get the blond to side with him. He believed he truly did nothing wrong. He thought to himself- could he really be blamed for being so utterly exhausted that he had slept longer than usual? How was he supposed to know that the brat was going to escape while he was asleep? Sure, the kid had expressed how much he didn’t want to be there, but that didn’t mean Levi was supposed to just know that he would escape. It wasn’t like he was a freaking psychic.

            Levi set his cup down and locked eyes with piercing blue ones that were now watching his every move. “He ran away,” Levi started, choosing the straightforward route.

            “Tell me everything,” Erwin ordered.

            Levi, after breathing out a noisy sigh, recapped all of the events that had happened, putting added stress on when Eren took a frighteningly forceful swing at his face- of course, he stressed more on the punch and the severity of the situation and not so much on his, in his opinion, very skillful dodge.

            “And then I woke up and he was gone,” Levi concluded, watching the blond’s thoughtful expression switch to a look of confusion.

            “That’s it?” Erwin questioned, cocking one eyebrow up slightly.

            “I left and looked around in the fucking freezing cold until I found him sitting on the ground at this playground that I didn’t even know existed, and then you called and I brought him back to the apartment and told him to change, but he passed out, as you saw.” Levi leaned back against his chair, crossing his arms.

            Erwin stared into his now empty coffee cup, processing everything his shorter friend had told him. He wanted so desperately to help the boy, and he did not understand why the boy was so unwilling to trust them. Did something, he asked himself, happen to him in the past? “Why won’t he let us help him?” Erwin questioned quietly.

            “Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

            Erwin and Levi both turned to the direction of the voice. Erwin’s eyes widened when he saw the boy leaning heavily against the wall close to the guest bedroom while Levi’s eyes narrowed as he took in the boy’s features.

            Eren darted his eyes between the two men before carefully pushing himself off of the wall, slowly starting to the table where the two men were seated.

            “You shouldn’t be up,” Erwin scolded as he made his way to Eren’s side instantly. He placed one hand gently on the boy’s elbow with full intentions of leading said boy back to bed, but he pulled his hand back when the boy cast him a piercing glare.

            “I think I have a right to know what you two are talking about since it concerns me,” Eren mumbled through a cough.

            Erwin sighed then glanced back at Levi, who was still seated at the table. He watched as Levi offered a small shrug before placing one hand back on Eren’s elbow. “Very well,” the blond spoke softly. “At least let me help you to the table.”

            Eren gave a small nod then allowed the blond to lead him to an empty seat between the two men. Once he helped Eren into the chair, Erwin exited the kitchen, returning moments later with a blanket in his arms. He wrapped the blanket tightly around the brunet, dismissing the muttered protests from the boy before reclaiming his seat across from Levi.  

            “Why won’t you let me leave?” Eren asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen among the trio.

            “You are in no condition to be out on your own,” Erwin responded immediately.

            “I’m fine,” Eren grumbled, groaning as a cough forced its way passed his lips.

            Levi huffed before tilting his head to stare at the brunet. “Oh, are you now?” He asked- tone tinged with aggravation. His lips twitched into a smirk when he was greeted with a sharp glare from the boy, and then he prepared to continue speaking; he wanted the brat to know just how stupid he was acting. But, he was stopped mid-breath by Erwin’s now raised hand cutting him off.

            “Eren, we aren’t going to hurt you. We want to help you.” Erwin kept his voice soft and calm.

            “Why?” Eren asked, meeting the blue eyes watching him. He wanted to leave; he didn’t want to owe these two men anything, and he still couldn’t trust the dark-haired male. He didn’t think he would ever be able to trust that man.

            “Well, I’m worried about you,” Erwin began, having full intentions of continuing but stopping when he watched Eren’s face turn into a look of disbelief.

            “But, why?” The brunet questioned harshly, causing another coughing fit to rip through his trembling body.

            Levi sighed as he directed his attention to Erwin, who was staring at Eren- blue eyes flooded with concern. The shorter male pinched the bridge of his nose before lifting one hand, gesturing towards the brunet. “Did that not answer your damn question?” He studied the boy, who was now panting while pressing one palm against his damp forehead. “You’re fucking sick. Adults worry when kids are sick, so just deal with it.”

            “I’m not a kid.” Eren turned to once again stare daggers are the shorter man. “I’m fifteen.”

            “Oh, perfect,” Levi muttered- not even bothering to hide the sarcasm coloring his tone. “Then, you are a little adult who can’t take care of himself.” He matched the glare the brunet was giving him then continued, ignoring the scolding looks Erwin was casting towards him. “I don’t know what the hell happened to you, but you need to quit being a stubborn brat and accept the help literally being shoved into you face.”

            By now, Levi was on his feet, leaning very close to Eren- close enough to feel the boy’s short, strained breaths on the tip of his nose. “I’ll have you know,” he began again, “last time I checked, Erwin and I haven’t murdered anyone, so you can quit your damn worrying.” With that being said, Levi moved away from the brunet and disappeared from the kitchen, returning moments later with a pill bottle. He then stopped to grab a glass out of a cupboard, filling it with water before moving back to the kitchen table. He tossed the pill bottle to Erwin, who, caught off guard, barely grabbed it before it hit the ground. “Check those,” he ordered the blond before setting the glass on a coaster in front of Eren.

            Erwin unscrewed the cap, peering into the small bottle. He shook a few pills into his hand, picking one up and examining it closely.

            “Safe, right?” Levi questioned the blond.

            “Yes,” Erwin answered before handing two pills to Eren. “You have my word that these will not harm you in any way.”

            Eren reluctantly took the pills, rolling them around in his hand before looking up to meet eyes with the blond beside him. After a few moments, he looked back down at the two pills once said blond gave him a reassuring nod.

            “Hey, Mr. Adult,” Levi caught the brunet’s attention. “You could either take those pills and go to bed, or I can shove those pills down your throat and drag you to bed. Take your pick.”

            Eren mustered up what energy he could into one last glare at the dark-haired man before popping both pills into his mouth, washing them down with the cold water that felt heavenly against his raw throat.

            “Ah, good. You are finally acting your age,” Levi noted- voice once again tinged with sarcasm.

            Erwin shot Levi a look that said man knew very well. It was the blond’s signature look signaling for him to shut up, which he did. He was too tired to keep up the sass anyway. He had only been awake for around five hours and yet he was exhausted, and he knew that as long as the brat was in his house, his schedule would be off and he would remain tired. Luckily though, tomorrow was his day off, so he wouldn’t have to worry about missing another day of work.

            Eren groaned before resting his head onto the cool tabletop. He could feel the medicine kicking in again and was finding it hard to keep his eyes open. He wanted to stay awake in case the conversation surrounding him continued, but his mind wouldn’t allow it. At least, he thought, he could rest a little easier knowing the blond was there with him.

            “I’m going to take him to bed,” Erwin spoke quietly while standing up and walking over to the brunet, who looked up at the blond as he approached and tried to speak, only to be shushed by said blond. “We will continue this later,” Erwin assured before helping the brunet to his feet.

            Levi watched as Erwin helped Eren back into the guest bedroom before turning his attention to straightening up his kitchen. He was just finishing washing the last cup when Erwin reappeared. “Well?” Levi questioned- not turning away from his sink.

            “He’s asleep. His fever is still pretty high, so I put a damp cloth on his head that I will need you to change in an hour.” Erwin approached Levi after not getting a single response from the shorter male. “Levi, I’m really sorry about putting this all on you.”

            “Stop,” Levi muttered under his breath before turning to face the blond. “You should go. You have all those brats to deal with.” He watched as the blond gave him a skeptical look. “Really, go,” he began again, gently nudging the blond to the door. “I’ll take care of the brat this time, and I’ll call you if anything happens, now go.” He handed Erwin his coat then opened the door.

            “Are you sure?” Erwin raised both brows as he looked down at his shorter friend.

            “Yes,” Levi griped. “Get out so I can go babysit Mr. Adult.”

            “Very well,” Erwin nodded before stepping out of Levi’s apartment. He turned before Levi could shut the door on him. “Once he’s well enough, you should take him out and buy him some clothes, and we should discuss soon about getting him enrolled in school.”

            “Shouldn’t we focus on finding out if he has any relatives?”

            “That will come with time,” Erwin answered thoughtfully. “Until then, we will take responsibility for him.”

            Levi offered a mumbled “okay” in response before saying good night to his friend and closing the door.  He made his way back to the kitchen, opting for a glass wine instead of another cup of coffee.

            With a glass of wine in one hand, Levi made his way into the guest bedroom, flopping down onto the recliner positioned fairly close to the bed. As he gingerly sipped the wine, he watched Eren sleep while mentally listing all of the things that needed to be done- not very thrilled with the lack of time for cleaning.

            “Shopping, huh?” He mumbled to himself after a few moments of thinking. “Tch, adult my ass,” he cursed under his breath before leaning back, allowing his eyes to close. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammar errors I may have missed!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

            “Wake up.”

            Levi let out a soft groan as he felt someone shaking his shoulder. He clumsily raised one hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes as he concentrated on clearing his fuzzy mind. Once he was sure he would be able to form a coherent sentence, he slowly opened his heavy eyes, blinking away the dancing black dots to focus on the turquoise orbs watching him.

            “…The hell?” He questioned, silently congratulating himself for not slurring his words too badly.

            “Your phone has gone off like ten times.”

            A loud yawn escaped the older male’s lips as looked down, preparing to fish his phone out of his pocket, only to stop upon seeing the navy blue blanket covering his lower half. With furrowed brows, he looked back up to fully take in the younger boy standing before him. “Why are you up?” He questioned- eyes trailing down to said boy’s bare chest. “Why the fuck don’t you have a shirt on?” He pushed himself up off the recliner that he apparently fell asleep in, stepping over the fallen blanket then moving to stand before Eren.

            “I-”

            Levi cut the brunet off by placing a firm hand against his forehead. He pulled his hand way after a few moments, eyeing the brunet skeptically. “Still sick,” he mumbled. “Get your ass back into that damn bed.”  

            “Since when did you decide to start caring?” Eren questioned flatly, stepping around Levi to retrieve a shirt out of the bag given to him by Erwin. He pulled a baggy, yellow top over his head before starting towards the hallway.

            Levi narrowed his eyes as he watched the younger boy exit the room, mumbling barely audible curse words until the brat was no longer seen. He let out a noisy groan as he bent down to pick the fallen blanket up, wincing when he felt a sharp pain shoot up his back- an unfortunate result from sleeping the entire night hunched up in a chair. After carefully folding the blanket and resting it at the foot of the bed, he swiftly turned on his heel, making his way to his living room while digging his phone out of his pocket- his annoying suspicions correct when he scrolled through the name ‘Erwin’ in his call log ten times.

            Turning a corner, Levi paused- eyes falling on the boy sitting on his couch. After a few moments of wondering why the brat was just sitting there, he moved to the side of the couch, tossing his phone into Eren’s lap. “Call Erwin” he muttered to the brunet before heading off towards his own bathroom.

* * *

 

            Eren stared down at the phone lying in his lap. Why did he have to call the blond guy? He didn’t know what to say to him- should he come off angry because the blond left him alone with that asshole all night? No, he thought to himself after a few moments. It was rude, he realized, to be mad at the one person who had been doing everything in his power to make things right, or so, that’s how Eren saw it.

            So maybe he was stuck with the asshole of the two men, but that doesn’t give enough reason to act poorly toward the blond.  And with that in mind, Eren flipped the phone open and scrolled through the address book until he came across ‘Erwin Smith’.

            After a few rings, he heard the other line pick up. “Um, hello. Mr. Smith?” The brunet questioned the man on the other line.

            _“Eren?”_

            Eren could hear the concern as well as confusion dripping off of the man’s voice, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the blond was always like this- so caring towards people he has just met. “Yes.” He finally answered.

            _“Please, call me Erwin! Oh! And, how are you feeling? You sound alright, well maybe a little tired. Did you sleep well? Has Levi been taking care of you?”_

“I…” Eren couldn’t even remember the first thing asked after having question after question bombarded at him. He bit down at his lip as he tried to collect his thoughts. “Sorry, what?” He finally decided on asking- receiving a small chuckle in response.

            _“No, I am sorry. I’m just excited to hear you sounding well. Now, how exactly are you feeling?”_

Eren continued gnawing at his lip. He could tell the truth- that he still felt like shit but didn’t want to stay in bed because he wanted it to appear that his recovery was making quick progression. The faster he recovers, the faster, he hoped, he could leave.

            Or, he could lie; he could say that he felt great in hopes that the man in the shower wouldn’t blow his cover.

            “I feel fine,” he finally responded. Fine, he thought, was a good way to put it- not too revealing while not insisting that he felt perfect.

            _“Are you sure? You had a very high fever last night. Maybe you could ask Levi to take your temperature. Actually, could you put him on the phone please?”_

Eren turned his head towards the sound of the shower emitting from the other room. “He’s taking a shower,” he said into the small phone.

            _“I see, well has he been taking proper care of you? I know it has not been that long since I’ve left last night, but I want to ensure that Levi is doing everything he can to get you back on your feet.”_

“I don’t remember anything after you helped me to bed,” Eren responded truthfully. “But, I woke up a few hours later and the man…” He paused for a moment, allowing a quiet sigh to pass through his lips before continuing. “Levi was asleep on this chair by the bed.” Honestly, Eren felt weird saying the man’s name. It felt too informal- like his relationship with the dark-haired male, as well as with the blond, was speeding up, and he didn’t want that. He wanted to remain distant acquaintances, if even that. With first names comes trust, and Eren wasn’t about to start completely trusting two men he’s only known for a short period of time- even if he found himself trusting the blond at times.  

            Trust wasn’t something Eren was great with- this being because of the last words his father had said to him on a night he despised recalling. _“Never trust anyone.”_

He could still hear his father’s wavering voice in his mind- the sound was so clear that it felt as if everything had happened only yesterday, and that pained him deeply. It felt as if old wounds were being ripped open by those unwanted memories, so he desperately shook his head to rid his mind of the past.   

            But, in what felt like just seconds, it all became too much for him; he did not feel his foot being nudged nor did he hear the worried calls sounding from the phone. All he could hear were the strangled cries from his 10-year-old self- that was until a warm hand grabbed a tuft of his hair and jerked his head upward.

            “Snap out of it, brat,” Levi hissed.

            Eren blinked a few times, willing his eyes to focus on the dark ones watching him. He then raised his hand, smacking Levi’s hand away from his hair before narrowing his eyes into a piercing glare.

            Levi matched his glare, staying like that for a few moments before leaning back up and guiding his attention to the phone. “He’s fine,” he said into the phone.

            Eren watched as the older man talked into the cell phone. When had he gotten the phone anyway? When did he even get out of the shower? The brunet looked down at his clasped hands lying in his lap. That, he realized, probably looked really bad and did little to reassure that he was actually fine. He just got caught up in a bad memory. Surely, he thought, that that happened to a lot of people.

            “Yea, I’ll put him back on,” Levi said, breaking Eren from his thoughts once more by shoving the phone at his face. “Here,” he grumbled.

            “Hello?” Eren questioned as he watched Levi stalk off, only to return moments later with a thermometer. ‘Shit,’ he thought to himself.

            _“Eren, are you alright? Levi said you grew very pale, and you were unresponsive for a full two minutes. Please, do not lie. It’s not like we are going to get mad if you are still unwell.”_

Two minutes. Eren couldn’t believe that he had been taken by his past for two full minutes- it had only felt like seconds to him. “I-” He began, only to be cut off by the thermometer forced into his mouth.

            “Hang on,” Levi spoke into the phone he took back. “I’m taking his temperature.” After a few moments, a quiet beeping filled the silent room, and Levi leaned down, yanking the thermometer out of Eren’s mouth. “Ah, it’s not that high,” Levi muttered into the phone. “Thirty-eight degrees Celsius.”

            _“Get him back to bed.”_

“Fine,” Levi groaned. “But, just so you know, he’s the one who got out of bed in the first place.” He reached down with his free hand, wrapping his fingers around Eren’s arm then pulling said boy up to his feet. “Let’s go,” he grumbled, dragging the reluctant brunet back into the guest bedroom.

            “I said I’m fine,” Eren spoke through clenched teeth. He tried digging his heels into the carpet, but the older man was still proving to be a lot stronger than he looked and continued dragging him without so much as a small stumble.

            “Right,” Levi mumbled flatly before shoving Eren onto the bed. “I’ll believe that when you don’t go spacing out on me, got it?” He quickly turned on his heel, making his way to the door, only to stop right before it. He glanced over his shoulder to see Eren still sitting there watching him with a rather unflattering expression. “I hope you aren’t waiting for me to tuck you in or some other kind of bullshit. You are an adult, aren’t you?” With that being said, Levi walked out of the room, shutting the door somewhat forcefully before turning his attention back to the phone once more.

            “Okay, he’s back in bed,” he spoke into the phone.

            _“So I heard. When are you going to start treating him kindly?”_

“I am treating him kindly.” Levi snapped. “I’m allowing him to stay in my home. I’d say that I’m being really fucking generous here.” He flopped down onto the couch. “I offer him a place to stay, yet he stills acts like a little brat towards me.”

            _“Maybe if you were more considerate, he would be more willing to open up to us.”_

“Yeah,” Levi let out a noisy sigh. “I’ll get right on that,” he said- tone tinged with sarcasm.

            _“You haven’t forgotten to take him shopping, have you?”_

“No, Erwin.”  Levi tossed an arm lazily over his eyes. “I’ll take him later if he’s better.” It was weird, he had only woken up an hour ago, and he even showered, yet he already felt exhausted. Why was tending to a 15-year-old brat so tiring? More importantly, was his apartment going to suffer due to being too tired to clean? ‘No,’ Levi thought as he sat upright on the couch. “I’ll call you later. I need to clean.”

            _“Very well. I should be getting back to work anyway. You know you can call me at any time if you need me.”_

            “Yep. Bye.” Levi snapped the phone shut then stood up. He set the phone onto his coffee table before making his way to his closet to retrieve his vacuum, only to stop in front of the guest bedroom door.

            As quietly as he could, Levi pushed the door open, peering inside to see Eren lying on his side- face away from the door. He cautiously stepped into the room, moving swiftly to the bathroom then reappearing moments later with a cold, damp cloth in his hand.

            Upon reaching the bed, Levi muttered, “Roll over so this won’t fall off.” He watched as the brunet obeyed, and then he brushed said brunet’s bangs back and draped the cloth across his forehead.  As he leaned back up, he locked eyes with the turquoise ones watching him. He held the boy’s gaze for just a moment before breaking it with an eye roll.

            Making his way back to the entryway, Levi stopped momentarily by the foot of the bed, resting his hand on the folded, navy blue blanket before exiting the room.

* * *

 

            Eren let out a sigh of relief once he heard the door close- adding a little more to the breath due to the damp cloth that was doing wonders for his fever. He was still feeling rather restless by what happened earlier, but he squeezed his eyes shut anyway, forcing himself to fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there are any grammar errors I may have missed!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo shopping!

Chapter 8

            The mall, the Colossal Mall to be specific, was busy this time of year. Masses upon masses of people weave in and out of stores trying to get as much of a head start on Christmas shopping as they could. Levi didn’t understand what the big deal was. It was only late November; Christmas was still a good ways away, but apparently the entire population of the city insisted on shopping as early as they could.

            I didn’t help, too, that Levi was pretty much forced to agree on setting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween. It irked him to no end that the mall pretty much skipped over Thanksgiving, and he felt that as the mall owner, he should be allowed to have Thanksgiving decorations set up, but his multiple assistants insisted that setting up Christmas decorations would be the best for the mall.

            Levi tsked as he flicked an ornament on the massive Christmas tree placed close to the mall’s entrance.

            “You don’t like it?”

            Levi huffed before turning to catch up to the brat, who had continued walking- unaware that Levi had stopped.

             Levi glanced up for just a few seconds at Eren, trying to decide if he was really as okay as he claimed to be. The brunet had only slept for two more hours before he woke up and insisted he felt fine, but Levi didn’t want the brat passing out on him if he was still unwell.           

            “It’s too early for this bullshit,” he finally muttered to the brunet as they started towards the apparel section of his mall.

            “December is in two days,” Eren offered.

            “Yeah,” Levi mumbled while stepping ahead of the brunet. He should like December more than he did; it was his birthday month after all. He should be really happy to be a ‘Christmas baby’, but he wasn’t. Something about being born on one of the most popular holidays took out the significance of his birthday- so much that he only bothered to tell one person when his birthday actually was. Most people were made to believe that his birthday fell on January 12th, but Erwin was the one exception.

            Every Christmas, well more like a few days before Christmas, Erwin would give him a present at the annual employee party. No one ever thought anything of it; most assumed that it was just a Christmas present, but Levi knew. He would never admit it out loud, but it always warmed his heart ever so slightly to open the present at home and see a card resting atop of the paper, reading ‘Happy Birthday Levi’. It was always the first present he opened and the last he looked at; plus, it helped that Erwin had a knack for picking out the best gifts- which was not something Levi excelled in.

            “Um, Levi… Sir?”

            Levi was brought from his thoughts once again by that damned brat. “What?” He questioned harshly- maybe a little too harshly for Eren visibly flinched at his tone.

            “I think this store is fairly cheap.” Eren pointed towards a used clothing store to the left of the duo.

            “It is, but we aren’t shopping in there.” Levi began walking again.

            “Why?!” Eren jogged to catch up with Levi, falling into step with the man. “I don’t want anything expensive! It would be easier to pay you back if it’s cheaper…” 

            Levi only grunted in response, ignoring the exasperated protests coming from the brunet beside him. If he was going to buy the brat clothes, than he wanted to buy something that would last- not that he’s implying the used clothing store is a bad store. No store in his mall was bad; he just wanted something of a better quality- for the brat, that is.

            He didn’t know where the brat would be a week from now, so he thought it better to go ahead and buy Eren some nice things while he can. It wasn’t as if he cared for the boy; he just knew that Erwin would think the same thing.

            “Here,” Levi stopped in front of what Eren suspected to be the biggest as well as most expensive clothing store in the whole mall.

            “Wall Rose?” Eren felt his jaw slack, threatening to drop to the floor. “This is the most expensive place in the whole damn mall!”

            “No, it’s not. Go to the top floor and you will see the true meaning of expensive.” Levi entered the store, offering a small nod to the girl behind the counter. He glanced back over his shoulder, waving Eren inside with a scowl.

            Eren trudged inside- careful not to touch anything. The last thing he wanted was to knock over some decorative vase, adding to his list of stuff he needed to pay back. He turned his head to the side as a petite, blonde girl approached Levi.

            “It’s always a pleasure to see you in here, Sir.” The blonde curled her lips into a soft smile while slightly bowing her head. She clasped her hands behind her back while allowing her eyes to flick over to Eren. “Have you come to shop?” She questioned upon noting the brunet’s particularly baggy clothing.

            “Can you find him some clothes…like an entire wardrobe? He’s kind of lacking in that department.” Levi rolled his eyes once he met the piercing glare Eren was giving him.

            The blonde’s smile fell, shifting her face into a rather confused expression before nodding. “Of course.” She turned her attention to the brunet. “I’m Christa,” she said, extending her hand to the boy.

            “E-Eren,” Eren stuttered as he grabbed the blonde’s hand.

            “Well, Eren. Come with me, and we will pick out a bunch of clothes for you!” Christa turned swiftly on her heel, leading Eren towards the teen section.

            “I’ll be over here,” Levi pointed at a chair close to the teen’s section. “Let me know if you need me.” That being said, Levi plopped himself down onto the plush chair, crossing one leg over the other while resting his chin atop his knuckles.

* * *

 

            Eren staggered as the fourteenth shirt was shoved into his outstretched arms. He had told the girl countless times that two outfits would be more than enough, but she had insisted that an entire wardrobe consisted of more than two outfits. His heart fell more and more as he glanced down at the overpriced shirts piled in his arms. He was half-tempted to throw everything to floor and storm out of the store, but the blonde, Christa, was being so nice and patient towards him, so he couldn’t bring himself to be rude.  After all, she was only doing what the freaking owner of the mall told her to do, and Eren was sure that she feared she would lose her job if she disobeyed.

            After seven pairs of jeans were thrust into his arms, Christa began pushing Eren towards the dressing rooms. “I’ll be right back, so go ahead and start trying stuff on.” She gave one final shove on Eren’s back before starting towards the place Levi said he would be.

            “Sir?” She spoke softly as she walked up to him. When she didn’t get a response, she knelt down in front of him- eyebrows rising upon noting his eyes were closed. “Sir?” She tried again, gently placing her hand on his arm- which seemed to work because he opened his eyes a second later.

            “Damn,” Levi cursed quietly. “I apologize.” He swallowed a yawn as he stood up. “Have you finished picking clothes out for Eren?”

            Christa’s lips threatened to turn into a frown as her brows knitted in concern, but she played it off with a light laugh, shifting her expression back to her usual, soft one. “Yes. He’s going to try on some clothes right now. Would you like to see what I’ve picked out for him?”

            “Yes.” Levi followed Christa over to the dressing room, pointing out how fast she works on the way. Once they arrived, Levi picked through the multiple shirts Christa picked out, occasionally glancing at price tags until he heard the dressing room doorknob twisting.

            Levi and Christa both turned to see the door being pulled open, and the next few seconds went by in a blur. Levi could faintly hear Christa clapping and gushing over Eren, but soon, all sound was drowned out as he really looked at the boy.

            It was a struggle for Levi to keep his appearance as composed as it always was. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest, and he was pretty sure his face was turning into the darkest shade of red a person could imagine. Yet, he didn’t want to pull his eyes away.

            He started by eyeing the shoes-a typical black pair of some brand he was unfamiliar with but knew that “all the cool kids” wore. He then moved up to the dark jeans that hugged Eren’s legs just right- enough for a second glance yet still room for imagination. Moving on to the turquoise shirt with a light, black jacket draped over it, Levi could only manage a small nod in approval.

            Once he reached the eyes, Levi had to bite down on his lip to keep from gasping out loud.  The shirt close to the same color did wonders to the brunet’s eyes, making them pop more than they already did, and Levi could only stare- he stared like it would be the first and last time he would ever get to witness something so beautiful. 

            Even though his skin was far paler than normal and his body could probably be blown away by a strong gust of wind, Levi still thought at that very moment that Eren was truly enchanting- which in turn, caused him to mentally curse himself. When the hell had he become such a poet?

            It took every ounce of his willpower to pull his gaze away. He concentrated on taking in deep, steady breaths as everything around him started to come back into focus. He could feel his trembling legs stilling as his heart returned to a somewhat normal pace, and he desperately hoped that his face no longer looked as if he had been blushing like mad.

            Braving it, Levi finally decided to look up, watching Christa fuss with Eren’s bangs while said boy tugged uncomfortably at the bottom of his shirt. “Are all of these clothes the same size?” Levi questioned, drawing the attention towards him.

            “Yes, Sir.” Christa flashed a bright smile. “All are also the top brand in the store.”

            “We will take them all then.” Levi turned to leave the dressing room, but stopped when he heard a loud gasp.

            “It’s too much!” Eren raced towards Levi. “Please!” He pleaded, clasping his hands down on Levi’s shoulders. “It will take me years to pay all of this back! Two shirts and a pair of jeans will do just fine!”

            Levi sidestepped around Eren, forcing his eyes to stay on the blonde, who was gathering up the clothes. “Ring them all up. And, if it’s possible, I would like for Eren to remain in the clothes he has on now.”

            “But-”

            Levi waved away Eren’s protests, shooting Christa a look that all but screamed for her to disregard Eren’s opinion.

            “Of course,” Christa responded over Eren’s complaints. She moved over to said boy and began ripping the price tags off of his new clothes. “I’ll go ring this all up.”

            “Thank you. We are going to go look for a heavier coat, so we will meet you up at the counter in just a few minutes.” Levi turned on his heel, starting towards the winter section with a fuming Eren in tow.

* * *

 

            “That’s gonna end up to be over a thousand dollars,” Eren hissed as he watched Levi pick through a rack of coats.

            “You can count?” Levi questioned- attention still on finding a good jacket for the brat.

            “Fuck you,” Eren whispered loudly.

            “Language check, brat,” Levi turned to face the brunet- careful not to look into those bright, shimmering eyes currently staring daggers at him.

            “I don’t want any of this,” Eren started, struggling to keep his voice low. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

            “Well, that’s too bad,” Levi mumbled as he pulled a dark gray coat off the clothing rack. “Try this on,” he ordered as he slipped the jacket off of the hanger.

            “I. Don’t. Want. It.” Eren was sure to add emphasis on “want”. Really, he didn’t understand what was up with these people. Why couldn’t they just accept that he doesn’t want their help? Sure, it was probably the nicest gesture he’s ever gotten, but it went from being okay to too much in a short period of time, and he wanted out.

            “And, I don’t really care what you want. Now, try on the damn jacket.” Levi shoved the heavy coat into Eren’s arms, causing said boy to stumble backwards into… someone?

            Eren heard a muffled “ow” before he spun around to see the person he had almost knocked over. “I’m so sorry!” He reached one hand out to steady the person.

            “No, I’m sorry! I should have been paying more attention!”

            Eren locked eyes with the bright, blue ones now looking up at him. A…boy, he thought to himself. The blond in front of him could surely pass as a girl from far away, and for just a brief moment, Eren had thought that he almost fell on top of Christa. “Are you okay?” He managed to ask after gawking at the blond longer than he should have.

            “Yes, I’m fine.” The blond smoothed his hands down his shirt before tucking a blond lock behind his ear. “I’m Armin,” he smiled up at Eren while grabbing his hand, initiating a hand shake between the two.

            “Eren.” The brunet answered as he allowed his arm to flow with the hand shake.

            “Are you new here?” Armin asked, shifting his eyes to the man behind Eren for just a quick second.

            “Um, well-”

            “He is.” Levi answered smoothly, cutting Eren off. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the uniform the blond was sporting. “Pixis Academy?”

            “Yes,” Armin answered. “Are you an alumnus?”

            “No, but I hear it is a very good school.” Levi pointed at the jacket in Eren’s arms, motioning for him to try it on while he continued his conversation with the blond.

            “It’s a very good school.” Armin said. “Are you looking for a school for your...?”

            Eren felt his eyes growing wider by the second. He was prepared to jump in, claiming that this man had kidnapped him, but Levi spoke before he even had a chance to collect his thoughts.

            “Nephew.” Levi noted flatly, casting a ‘keep your mouth shut’ glance towards the brunet beside him.

            “Ah, well Pixis Academy is an amazing school,” Armin began. “I would really recommend it. Plus, Eren would already have a friend there.” Armin looked up at the tall brunet, pulling his lips up into the most genuine smile Eren had seen in a very long time.

            Eren was rendered speechless. It was one thing speaking to adults who were nice to him, but here was this random kid, probably close to his age, who was treating him with as much kindness as a mother would show a child. He couldn’t help but wonder. If the blond knew the truth about him, would he still act this nicely towards him?

            It was odd- give him a haircut and new clothes and people no longer avoided him like the plague. A part of him was happy; he had been on his own for five years and often went weeks not speaking to a single person. Plus, he had gotten so sick that he sometimes actually wanted to die just to make the pain go away.

            But the other part of him could only laugh at his stupidity. Once everyone found out who he really was, just some homeless boy that managed to draw the attention of two strange men, they would return to treating him as if he were invisible.

            It wasn’t like these thoughts saddened him; that was the life he adjusted to after…

            “Eren?”

            Eren took a step back, blinking a few times until his eyes focused on the blond staring at him- blue orbs flooded with concern. “Sorry, what?”

            “I asked if you were okay. You completely spaced out for a moment there.” Armin bit down at his bottom lip as he stared at the brunet.

            “You’ll have to excuse him,” Levi spoke up, resting his hand on Eren’s shoulder. “He’s still recovering from a terrible fever.”

            “I thought he looked a little too pale,” Armin muttered while gently placing one, small hand against Eren’s cheek. “You’re kind of warm,” He frowned, drawing his hand back after a few moments.

            “I should get him home.” Levi took the coat out of Eren’s hands. “It was nice meeting you, Armin.”

            “Ah! It was nice meeting both of you as well!” He waved as the two headed towards the register. “And, Eren?” He called out, catching the brunet’s attention. “I hope to see you at Pixis Academy soon!”

            Eren could only nod at the blond before turning his face back to the front. He felt dizzy from all the kindness the blond showed towards him, yet he silently hoped that he would get to see the blond again.

* * *

 

            “I’m still sick, yet you make me carry all of the bags?” Eren questioned through gasps. Levi had made him carry all twelve bags back out to his car, and Eren was pretty sure he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.

            “It’s your stuff,” Levi pointed out as he opened the trunk.

            “That I didn’t ask for,” Eren muttered under his breath, hoping the shorter man didn’t hear, but cursed under his breath when the shorter man slapped him on the back of the head.

            “Child abuse,” Eren dropped the bags into the trunk.

            “So, you finally admit that you are a child?” Levi tilted his head, cocking an eyebrow.

            “No. Fuck you.” He said before turning quickly on his heel and marching to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door, flopping down on the seat before shutting the door after he started to shiver from the cold breeze sneaking in through the open space.

            Levi, who was still outside the car, fished his phone out of his pocket, sending a quick text to Erwin that said ‘Pixis Academy’ before getting into the driver’s side. “Do you like pizza?” He questioned the brunet.

            “I-”

            Levi lifted his gloved hand, interrupting him. “Actually, I don’t care whether you like it or not. We are getting pizza.”

* * *

 

            “You actually watch horror movies for fun?” Eren asked before biting into his third slice of pizza- he couldn’t remember the last time he got to eat pizza. He then glanced over at Levi sitting on the recliner by the couch.

            “I told you if you were going to be a baby, then go to bed.” Levi sipped gingerly at his wine.

            “I’m just asking,” Eren grumbled, turning his attention back to the movie- bad timing, unfortunately. He yelped as a hand grabbed at the woman’s leg in the movie, mentally cursing himself soon after for getting scared at something so stupid.

            Levi flicked his eyes over to the brunet. He could feel his lips twitching, threatening to pull up into a smile, and for the first time since he met the brat, he didn’t mind. He actually felt somewhat relaxed and wasn’t entirely aggravated by the brat’s presence- a lot of that being from the wine and because the damn kid still had that amazing shirt on that complemented his eyes so well. And, Levi enjoyed stealing glances any chance he got.

            He wasn’t sure how the next days would be, but right there, at that very moment, he found being with the brat tolerable.

* * *

 

            An hour later, Levi pressed the off button on his remote. He stood up, glancing over at Eren, who had passed out half way through the movie. He allowed a low laugh to pass through his lips while he worked on getting his living room back into a clean condition.

            Once finished, he crouched down in front of Eren, placing the back of his hand against said boy’s forehead. He pulled his hand away after a few moments, noting how he was still warm but not alarmingly warm.

            “Get up,” He muttered as he shook the brunet’s shoulder.

            “…Mm…What?” Eren slowly opened his eyes.

            Levi could feel his cheeks heating up. It was the damn eyes, and maybe it was the way Eren spoke while still trying to wake up. It was, Levi thought, maybe just a tiny bit cute.

             However, he knew he was merely trying to reassure himself. ‘Cute’, as he put it, wouldn’t cause his heart to race and take his breath away. ‘Cute’ wouldn’t make his knees feel weak and his face heat up. But, he didn’t want to admit anything more than just ‘cute’. He still wanted the brat out of his house as soon as possible; he didn’t feel that he was prepared to take responsibility for another life, nor did he even want to.

            “Go to bed,” Levi finally answered, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

            “I didn’t see the end of the movie,” Eren said as he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. “Did that woman die?”

            “I’m not spoiling anything,” Levi responded flatly. “Your fault for falling asleep.”

            “Fine. I’ll watch it another time.” Eren grumbled as he got to his feet. He threw his hands into the air as he yawned loudly. “Night,” he called over his shoulder before walking into the guest bedroom.

* * *

 

            Levi leaned against his kitchen counter as he downed his fourth glass of wine. His mind kept wandering back to the two times Eren had completely spaced out. He wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or if this was truly just from being so ill. Either way, it kind of frightened him; he was afraid that Eren may not come back if it happened again.

            “Damn it,” Levi cursed- his frustration growing. He wasn’t supposed to care, so why the hell did he find himself caring so much for some brat he met only a few days ago?  

            It was the wine, he thought; it had to be the wine.

            With a loud sigh, Levi went about washing his cup before stalking off to his own room. He decided sleeping on it would be the best, or at least he hoped sleeping on it would straighten things out.

            After brushing his teeth, he crawled into his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.

* * *

 

            Eren stared up at the ceiling- his thoughts keeping him awake. _“Why would Levi say I’m his nephew?”_

_“Why the hell was that blond so nice to me?”_

_“Why did Levi spend over a thousand dollars on clothes for me?”_

            He sighed. _“And how the fuck am I supposed to pay all that back?”_

            Through all of those questions, one seemed to be reoccurring. “ _Why was Levi acting kind of nice towards me?”_

That man, Eren noted, was supposed to hate him; he was supposed to want him gone, yet he bought him clothes and pizza and even watched a movie with him, and this was honestly way too much for Eren to grasp.

            Plus, he had to worry about the fact that he was almost taken by his past for the second time in one day, and he was sure to be questioned about it. And, that was one story he did not want to tell.

            He closed his eyes, awaiting sleep to relieve his spinning head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought maybe I should start putting chapter summaries, but I kind of suck at summaries, so they won't be anything amazing.   
> And, sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren meets people, and then he and Levi celebrate Levi's birthday/Christmas.

Chapter 9

            Maybe it was due to all the “festive cheer” going on throughout the city, but things seemed to calm down for the most part with Levi and Eren. Their days went along smoothly- neither opting to talk any more than necessary, which was how Levi preferred it to be. At times, Levi almost forgot that the brat was staying with him because said brat chose more than half of the time to pass his time in the guest bedroom as opposed to the living room. And, Levi thought, everything was better this way.

            He no longer had to go through that heated, dizzying sensation when he looked into the brat’s eyes because he rarely saw the boy for more than five minutes at a time. And, as far as he knew, Eren hadn’t experienced anymore “episodes”- as Levi liked to put it.

            It would be a lie to say that Levi wasn’t slightly concerned about the brat. He often asked himself if he had done something to upset the boy but quickly dismissed those thoughts when he would come home bone-tired from work to a perfectly clean apartment.

            Maybe he wasn’t thrilled about the fact that he was housing a brat for a guest, but Levi would never deny that said brat can clean- and that was a very important essential to staying with Levi.

* * *

 

            Rewinding slightly, the first time Eren met Hanji was the day after he and Levi had gone shopping. Levi had insisted that Eren would not stay in his apartment unsupervised because he feared of all the things Eren might steal, or worse, he feared for his apartment’s overall condition. And, no matter how hard Erwin had tried to convince him that Eren was trustworthy, Levi just wouldn’t budge- which, in turn, led to Eren being dragged to the mall by Levi.

            Hanji’s reaction towards the boy was similar to how Levi had imagined it would be. The brunette poked at Eren for a long time while constantly asking about his past life, but she didn’t ever receive an answer for Eren had politely declined speaking about it.

            She got the point after a while and left Eren alone but not before assuring him that she is very excited to get to know him more. And, Eren had smiled softly and bowed his head, and that was that.

* * *

 

            Eren’s meeting with the other employees was short and to the point as well. Petra Ral was practically shaking in excitement when she finally got to meet him- she shook his hand so hard that Eren thought his arm would fall off. The other four men that work alongside Petra opted for quick, verbal greetings before leaving Eren alone.

            With all of this, Eren was grateful that Levi’s employees didn’t fuss about with him for too long.  He was still reeling from the kindness that the blond kid showed the day before, as well as the kindness Levi had been showing him.

            The brunet had convinced himself, after that night of movie watching and pizza eating, that he will go along with whatever Levi and Erwin want but to be very careful about growing too attached. This situation he was currently in was not something permanent. Eventually he would pay Levi back for the clothes and all the food- he had been keeping a close tab on everything- and then he would leave.

            If that means waiting until his eighteenth birthday, then so be it. He would wait, but when the time comes, he would be out of there as fast as possible. And, until then, he would go about each day as if he weren’t there; he felt that was the best way to keep from growing attached.

            There were strangers all around Eren, and he told himself that he didn’t want to trust a stranger. He didn’t want to trust anyone anymore.

* * *

 

            After a few days of dragging Eren to work, Levi was finally convinced that the brat wasn’t going to steal anything or tear up his apartment, so he decided if Eren wanted to stay back at the apartment, then he could. And, Eren did stay.

            Most days the brunet would watch television- not actually watching though. He was too lost in his own thoughts, so focusing on whatever he chose to watch proved to be quite difficult. Some days, he would give Levi’s apartment the best cleaning he possibly could; he figured that was a start in paying the older man back, and he could easily tell how much said man cherished cleanliness.

            Sometimes, very few times, Eren contemplated running away again. He knew now that he was in a better condition he could get away faster and probably escape for good. But, much to his dismay, the thought of hurting the two men that have gone so out of their way to help pained Eren. They were just trying to help- well, Erwin was trying to help while forcing Levi to assist as well.

            Either way, the two men were entirely too kind to Eren, and he needed to reciprocate the favor, and, aside from paying Levi back, the only way he could think to replay them was by staying put and cooperating.

            It wasn’t easy. The temptation to bolt out of the apartment was strong, but he managed.

* * *

 

             The annual employee Christmas party ended up falling on Christmas Eve. Erwin had insisted that Levi bring Eren, saying something along the lines of “It would be good for him”.

            So, Levi reluctantly obliged and was now pulling up to Petra’s house with a rather quiet Eren sitting in the passenger seat. He shifted his dark, narrow eyes to the side, taking in the neutral expression the brat was wearing.

            With a sigh, he twisted the key, turning his car off before turning his body until he faced the brunet. He was afraid of looking into those deep, turquoise eyes, but he decided to risk it; he wanted to know what was up with the boy- whether he truly cared or not.

            “You have been less bratty than usual,” He decided on, catching the brunet’s attention.

            Eren locked eyes with the older man, keeping his expression as calm and sophisticated as he could manage. “I’m not a brat.”

            “Yes, you are,” Levi said back almost instantly, resulting in a small glare from the brunet.

            There it was; there was the feeling- the heart-racing, stomach-turning, face-heating feeling that Levi hadn’t experienced in weeks, and even though it completely messed with his composure, he kind of, maybe missed it.

            “You have just been very quiet lately,” Levi added, turning away from the brunet to hide his reddening face.

            “Is that bad?” Eren questioned as he turned to open the door. “Isn’t that what you want?” With that said, he stepped out of the car, closing the door harder than he had intended. He was growing aggravated with himself; he was supposed to remain neutral, yet he couldn’t seem to control his anger when he’s around Levi- anger that he wasn’t even sure about.

            Really, he had no reason to be mad at Levi, but he was. He didn’t understand how someone could act so annoyed towards him one day then buy him clothes and watch a movie with him the next. It just didn’t make sense.

            Levi watched as the brunet grabbed some of the presents out from the back seat before starting towards the house. He replayed the words in his head, making sure to not forget the harshness of his tone.

            Now, he was confused. He bought him an entire fucking wardrobe, and he houses and feeds him. Why the fuck was the brat still angry with him?

            Levi stepped out of the car with a sigh, retrieving the remaining presents from his backseat before making his way towards Petra’s house. He pushed the thoughts aside for now, assuring himself that he could maybe talk to Erwin about it at a later date.

            Once he reached the door, Levi pressed a gloved finger down on the doorbell.

            “Levi! Eren!” Petra shouted seconds later as she pulled the door open, ushering the two inside.

* * *

 

            Most of the party was how Eren expected it to be. He, unfortunately, was the center of attention for quite some time. But, he mentally applauded himself for dodging all questions about his past life- well, Erwin did help a lot with that. But still, he thought he was doing a decent job.

            He managed to keep it up when he was showered with Christmas presents from all of Levi and Erwin’s coworkers. He did the right amount of smiling and the right amount of thanking, and was secretly grateful when he was told not to open them until he got home- eyes widening as soon as the word “home” left Hanji’s mouth.

            Excusing himself from the room, Eren quickly walked away from all of the chatter, stopping in the kitchen to lean heavily against the wall. He was in the process of catching his breath when he heard his name being called.

            Looking up, he was met with a pair of blue eyes watching him curiously. “E-Erwin?” He questioned the man watching him, whose face was crunched up in concern.

            “Are you alright?” Erwin asked with a frown.

            “Y-yea,” Eren muttered. “I’m just not used to being around so many kind people.”

            “I can see how it may feel overwhelming for you,” Erwin replied, shooting Eren a small, sympathetic smile before turning back to the box he was wrapping.

            Eren glanced down at the box. “Is that for Levi? I noticed you didn’t give him something when everyone exchanged.”

            “Levi’s present is always special,” Erwin mumbled as he ripped a piece of tape off with his front teeth.

            Eren knitted his brows. “Why? Because you two are such close friends?”

            “I shouldn’t say, but since you are currently residing with him,” Erwin started as he carefully pressed the strip of tape onto the side of the wrapped package. “His birthday is on Christmas.”

            “He seems like he hates Christmas,” Eren mumbled as he thought back to Levi’s aggravation towards the many decorations spread throughout his mall.

            “He tells people that his birthday is on January 12th. As far as I know, I’m the only one who knows when it really is.” Erwin paused, flipping the package upside down to smooth down the paper on the bottom. “Well, now you and I are the only people who know.”

            “Why doesn’t he want people to know?” Eren asked, genuinely curious.

            “Christmas kind of overshadows his birthday, and though he won’t admit it out loud, that upsets him.” Erwin flipped the package once more before looking around for the tag he bought to tie onto the ribbon. “So, he chose to say his birthday is later.”

            Eren moved away from the wall, flopping down onto a kitchen chair moments later. “That seems kind of,” he stopped, trying to think of the right word to say that wouldn’t offend the blond, “selfish.”

            He met the questioning gaze from Erwin before continuing. “It’s like he doesn’t want anyone to be happy and celebrate Christmas because it’s _his_ birthday.” He finished, hoping his words hadn’t upset the blond.

            “Doesn’t everyone deserve to have a day that’s just about them?” Erwin questioned before turning to head back to Petra’s living room.

            Eren carefully picked through every word Erwin had said before also making his way back to the living room for the party’s conclusion.

* * *

 

            The ride home had been silent, and Eren and Levi were both secretly thankful for that. Levi wasn’t sure what he could say to the brat that wouldn’t result in said brat getting angry with him, so he opted to stay silent.

            Eren was still wrapping his mind around everything Erwin had told him. He didn’t necessarily feel bad for Levi, but he would admit that at one time, he would have been very annoyed if his birthday wasn’t all about him.

            And, he was still thinking about this when the two arrived at Levi’s apartment.

            Once the two entered the apartment, they retreated to their respected rooms silently. Eren closed his door then moved to dump his handful of presents onto the guest bed. He picked through each one carefully, admiring the boots from Petra and wondering about the, what he thought was, science kit from Hanji. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, but he still appreciated it nonetheless.

            Continuing, he opened three new shirts and a very expensive-looking scarf from Levi that he couldn’t help but chuckle at. It was fitting considering that Levi, as he learned throughout his stay, hated the cold almost as much as he hated filthy things.

            Unwrapping the last one, that happened to be from Erwin, he was greeted with a soft, black, leather book filled with blank pages. Sticking out from the pages was a letter from Erwin explaining that the book was to write down his feeling and what not, which caused Eren to breathe out a small laugh. He knew what a diary was. And although he wasn’t sure if he would ever take the time to write down his feelings, he still appreciated the gift.

            The book, he thought, was absolutely beautiful even if it was plain. The smooth, black cover reminded him a lot of Levi’s hair…

            Eren sighed; his thoughts were turning into that of some love-struck girl, and he didn’t even like Levi. He was supposed to be going about his days while trying not to grow attached to all of the kind people around him, and yet, here he was comparing a book to Levi’s hair.

            His thoughts flicked back suddenly to the scarf and he bit down on his bottom lip before an idea popped into his head. He retrieved the pen that Erwin had thoughtfully added to the gift.

            Turning to the first page in the book, he started writing. _‘Dear Levi,’_.

* * *

 

            Levi groaned, rolling onto his side to see the clock reading 7:30 a.m. He pushed himself into a sitting position before rubbing at his tired eyes. He had the day off, and he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the brat all day- that is if the brat even came out of the guest bedroom.

            With a sigh, he stood up, starting towards his bathroom when his eyes fell upon a small, folded piece of paper lying atop the pile of his opened gifts.  He knew he had placed each gift back in its respective box last night, so he was drawing a blank in regards to the paper. “What the fuck?” He grumbled as he approached the note.

            Picking it up, Levi unfolded the paper then blindly made his way back to his bed as his eyes darted across the sloppy letters.

* * *

 

_Dear Levi,_

_I’m not very good with words. There was a time when I was, but that was long ago. Things happened, and I changed. But, then you and Erwin came along and turned my life around. I know that I probably would have died if it weren’t for you two, and I’m thankful for that._

_I’m not very good at expressing my thanks, as you can probably tell. But, I swear I’m going to pay you back every cent. It’s the only way I can think of that would make up for everything you have done for me._

_Also, I’m sorry for acting like an asshole to you. I have trouble trusting people…_

_But, that’s not what this note is about. The main purpose of this note was to wish you something I didn’t think I would be able to do in person._

_Happy Birthday, Levi._

* * *

 

            Levi’s eyes fell onto the drawn picture of a Christmas tree wearing a pointy birthday hat. If he weren’t so confused by the letter, he would have focused his thoughts on the fact that the picture was drawn exceptionally well. But, his mind was elsewhere- it was trying to get a grip on one of the many feeling racing throughout his body.

            He was confused, of course. Eren knew that today was his birthday, and he hadn’t told him, which means that Erwin probably did. But, why?  

            He was kind of sad; he could see Eren’s struggle to write this in each letter, and this also served as a small hint that something bad did happen to him in his past. What the fuck happened to him?  

            He was happy. He had only known the boy for a little over a month, and yet, said boy just gave him the best Christmas- no, the best birthday present. And, he couldn’t, nor did he want to, stop the smile playing across his lips.

            But out of all of that, Levi was mostly mad. He was mad that a boy he barely knew could make him feel so many things at one time. He wasn’t used to this- all of these emotions bubbling inside of him. He was more of a one emotion kind of guy, so this was all proving to be overwhelming to him. How could he go from frowning, then to smiling, and then back to frowning in a period of one minute?

            It just didn’t make sense, and sadly, he did not have wine to blame for the sudden rush of emotions. No, the only thing to blame was the brat sleeping in the guest bedroom.

            Levi hopped out of his bed and marched all the way to the guest bedroom door, shoving the door open and stepping inside to see Eren sleeping peacefully. He shuffled over to the brunet- the note still in his clenched fist.

            “Wake the fuck up, brat.” He hissed, causing the brunet to stir.

            Eren peaked through a barely open eyelid before bolting up into a sitting position. “L-Levi!” His trembling eyes darted to the paper crumpled in Levi’s fist before shifting back up to Levi’s face- not for long though for Levi had turned and started towards the room’s exit just moments after Eren had shouted his name.

            “Where are you going?” Eren spit out.

            “Kitchen,” Levi called over his shoulder. He stopped briefly into his room to place the note onto his bedside table before making his way into his kitchen, digging through his cabinets until he located a brand new box of pancake mix.

            A few minutes later, Eren walked into the kitchen to see Levi making preparations for breakfast. “Um, Levi?” He shifted from foot to foot as he watched the shirtless man reaching for a pan.

            “Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help?” Levi set the pan on the stove then turned to the brunet- arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

            “I… Don’t you want to put a shirt on at least?” Eren’s eyes fell to Levi’s bare, pale chest, noting how the man was surprisingly muscular despite his height.

            “What?” Levi questioned- tone tinged with annoyance. “Am I not allowed to cook shirtless in my own kitchen?”

            “I… Well…”

            “Exactly,” Levi cut him off. “Now come over here and help me.”

            Flipping pancakes into the air- with more than half not making it back into the pan-, the two worked on breakfast for an hour- an hour filled with cursing from Levi when Eren accidentally allowed his third pancake to splatter all over the floor, and an hour filled with… laughing.

            The first time Eren laughed, Levi was pretty sure he was about to have a heart attack. It was the most beautiful sound to ever grace the older man’s ears, and he felt his body craving for more- just for that one sound that filled the room, bouncing off the walls and surrounding the entire apartment.

            He honestly thought that at that moment, he would pay millions of dollars just to hear that one sound again.

            Eren, on the other hand, was in shock that Levi even knew how to laugh- what with his face always being twisted into a rather dull expression. Still, hearing the laugh erupt from Levi was like music to his ears, and in a way, Eren felt special that he got to hear it. He came to the assumption that Levi didn’t laugh much, so he felt special knowing that Levi was willing to laugh such a light-hearted laugh in front of him, and Eren just wanted to take that sound and lock it into a box and hide it- which, in turn, caused him to mentally curse himself for the stupid child-like thoughts invading his mind once again.

             After the two practically devoured the pancakes- Levi showing a tad more class than the younger boy-, Eren went to shower while Levi took to straightening up his kitchen. Once Eren finished, Levi left him alone with the TV while he left to take a much needed shower.

* * *

 

            The day went on with very little talk and a lot of movie watching. Levi finally agreed to save the horror movies for later, so the two ended up watching what Levi thought had to be the three cheesiest Christmas movies ever created. But, he didn’t regret it because he got to hear more of that laugh, and he got to see more of that smile that he was beginning to find addicting. And occasionally, Eren would look over, and so Levi got to see more of those eyes that literally took his breath away.

            Once night rolled around, Levi stood up and turned to the kitchen, with Eren following close behind moments later.

            “I don’t have like a turkey or anything, but…” Levi paused as he rummaged through his pantry. “I have spaghetti,” he finished, holding up a box of noodles and a jar of spaghetti sauce.

            “Spaghetti sounds great,” Eren smiled while moving towards the stove, only to stop when Levi held his arm out, preventing the brunet from reaching the stove.

            “Let me cook this one solo,” Levi muttered. “Spaghetti is bound to be ten times messier than pancakes, and I kind of really like having my kitchen spotless, so you just go sit at the table and wait like a good boy.”

            Eren huffed; he did not like when Levi talked to him as if he were a child, but he decided not to argue just this once because it was Levi’s birthday after all. Instead, he obliged and plopped down onto the closest kitchen chair and watched Levi prepare their dinner.

            It was weird, Eren thought to himself while he waited for dinner. The whole month was spent trying not to grow attached to anyone, and it took just one letter, at least he thought it was the letter, to change everything.

            He knew it was his decision to write the letter, but he felt he owed those words to Levi. He was not expecting this type of reaction from the older man, but he liked it nonetheless. And, he could feel himself growing somewhat attached to the man, but for the first time, he wasn’t afraid of that.

            There was just something about Levi; the man could go from being the world’s biggest douche one minute to a surprisingly sweet person the next. It confused Eren to no end, but he didn’t necessarily dislike it.

            The brunet was brought back from his thoughts by a plate being placed in front of him. “That was fast,” he pointed out while Levi took the seat across from him.

            “No,” Levi began, “You were just off in your own little world the whole time.”

            “Sorry,” Eren muttered as he moved his hand to rub at the back of his neck.

            Levi only shrugged before turning his attention to the spaghetti, motioning for Eren to do the same.

            The two ate in a mostly comfortable silence- with only short interruptions from Eren expressing how good the food tasted.

            Once they finished, Eren offered to watch the dishes, and surprisingly, Levi agreed to it. The older of the two poured himself a large cup of wine before going back into the living room. He picked through his movies until he found the one he was looking for then popped it into his DVD player. He then reclaimed his spot on the recliner, curling his legs underneath him as he sipped at his wine.

            A few minutes later, Eren made his way into the living room and let a soft groan slip through his lips. “This movie again?” He asked as he took his spot on the couch.

            “You want to know what happens, don’t you?”

            Eren nodded as he turned his attention to the familiar horror movie. He did actually want to know what happened to the woman after all- which was odd for him because he had never been a fan of any type of scary movie.  

* * *

 

            Two hours later, the credits began to roll and Eren tossed his arms into the air, lacing his fingers as he pulled his arms behind his head into a stretch. “I knew she was going to die,” he muttered to the dark-haired man watching him.

            “That would explain why you were shouting ‘She’s gonna live!’ through the final twenty minutes,” Levi muttered as he slid to his feet.

            Eren breathed out a low laugh before getting to his feet. “I was just rooting for her.”

            “Right, okay Eren.” Levi’s lips twitched into a smile while he turned to cut the TV off.

            Eren gasped out loud suddenly, causing Levi to turn around to him in somewhat of a panic.

            “What’s wrong?” Levi questioned quickly as he approached the boy.

            “You called me by my name,” Eren’s lips curled upward until he was smiling the biggest smile he could manage.

            “Yes, well you are still a brat,” Levi muttered, laughing when he watched Eren’s face fall almost instantly. “And, you are a brat that needs to go to bed.” With that being said, Levi turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen, glancing at the wall clock reading 11:58 p.m.

            “And, brat,” He called out to Eren, who was pushing open the guest bedroom door.

            “Yea?”

            “Merry Christmas.” Levi looked down to hide his blushing face. When greeted with silence, he started to turn back to the kitchen but stopped upon hearing his name being softly called out.

            “And, Happy Birthday to you,” Eren mumbled before quickly retreating into the guest room.

            Levi's already red face darkened so he shook his head to clear his now racing thoughts  as he turned to the kitchen sink.

            But, one thing he knew for sure was that he could definitely get used to hearing those words from Eren.  

* * *

 

            Eren fell back onto the bed. His heart was pounding so hard that he thought it was going to burst right out of his chest, and then an amazing day would be ruined.  

            He could imagine it now; Levi busting into the room and cursing at his dead body for getting blood all over his perfectly pressed sheets.

            With a light laugh, Eren eased his eyes shut.

            Maybe, he thought, it wouldn’t be so bad to be friends with Levi after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, if the beginning is kinda really rushed. This wasn't originally what I had planned for this chapter, but, yea.. I wanted to get a Christmas chapter out.   
> Because, Christmas is right around the corner... literally. And, I don't think that I have fully processed this.   
> Ah, anyway, sorry in advance for any grammar errors, and   
> I hope everyone enjoys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ummm, Eren's gonna go to school! (man I'm terrible at these)

Chapter 10

            Eren and Levi stepped into the diner, making their way towards the booth that Erwin was occupying.

            “Hello,” Erwin smiled up at the two as they approached the table. “Please, sit.” He gestured to the bench across from him and then breathed out a small laugh as he watched Levi nudge Eren to slide in first.

            “Why do I have to sit on the inside?” Eren questioned harshly as he fought against Levi’s elbow jabbing him in the side.

            “Because I said so.” Levi answered flatly before piercing Eren’s side with his elbow once more. “Now, shut up and sit down. You’re causing a scene.” He watched as the brunet let out a noisy puff of air while sliding into the booth until he was leaning against the window.

            “Child abuse,” Eren muttered under his breath as Levi sat down beside him.

            “Well, I’m glad that you finally have it in that dense head of yours that you are in fact just a child.” Levi countered, shifting his gaze to meet Eren’s glaring eyes. He could feel his heart beat steadily increasing as he stared into those beautiful turquoise eyes- eyes that he found himself thinking should be illegal.

            He had thought that he had this whole “freak out internally over Eren’s eyes” thing under control, but it turns out he was very wrong. The pestering feeling came back shortly after Christmas, but luckily, he had managed to at least control the blushing part of this whole annoying ordeal. So, he had gotten fairly good at hiding it.

            “I’m going to be sixteen soon.” Eren spoke suddenly, pulling Levi out of his thoughts.

            “And?” Levi cocked an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly, inviting Eren to explain himself.

            “And,” Eren began, holding out the word “and” longer than needed, “sixteen is not the age of a child.”

            Levi curled his lips up into a smirk while leaning closer to the brunet. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand while taking in the way Eren shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “Is that so?” He finally asked.

            Eren pressed his back against the window, ignoring the cold seeping in through his coat. “Yes, it is.” He kept his eyes locked on Levi’s and made his voice sound as confident as he could manage, but he couldn’t help but squirm around nervously under Levi’s cold stare. It was rather intimidating, but Eren would never admit that out loud. Showing fear was the last thing he wanted to do.

            “That’s odd,” Levi mumbled as he turned away from the brunet, reaching for a menu.

            “What’s odd?” Eren asked loudly as he leaned towards the smaller man. He didn’t bother trying to hide the confusion laced in his voice.

            “You say that sixteen is not the age of a child, and yet,” Levi paused, glancing up from the menu to meet those bright, turquoise eyes once more- instantly causing his heart to pound against his chest. “You are acting like one.”

            Eren’s eyes narrowed as he muttered multiple curse words under his breath. He fell back against the window and let out a loud sigh before turning his attention to the amused expression Erwin was currently sporting. “What?” He questioned the blond- maybe a little too harshly for he was given a kick on the leg by Levi seconds later.

            Erwin laughed into his hand as his eyes darted back and forth between the two boys. “You two seem to be getting along a lot better than before,” he commented, waving away the vicious glares from the two. “You can’t deny it now, can you?”

            “Can we deny it, Eren?” Levi asked, shifting his eyes to the brunet beside him.

            “I think we can,” Eren said as his lips pulled into a smile.

            “Well, I’m glad to see you two agreeing on something,” Erwin said through a light chuckle.

            “Yea, whatever,” Levi waved his hand once before turning his attention to the papers lying on the table close to Erwin. “What are those? I assume that’s why you asked us to meet you here.”

            Erwin nodded, sliding the papers until they were lying in front of Eren. He gave the brunet another nod, motioning for him to take a look.

            Eren carefully picked up the papers. “An application for Pixis Academy?” He looked up at the blond with furrowed brows. “This is the school that Armin goes to.” He thought back to the nice blond from the mall and realized that he really wanted to see him again. He hasn’t had a true friend since before his life turned to complete shit, and he didn’t realize until this very moment just how much he missed it. Sure, he had Levi and Erwin, but it wasn’t the same as having someone your own age.

            Of course, he wasn’t exactly sure if Armin would still want to be his friend after he finds out about his past, but maybe, he thought, if he could keep those details hidden, then he and Armin could be friends.

            “Who is Armin?”

            Eren looked up from the papers, locking eyes with Erwin’s. He was about to respond, but Levi beat him to it.

            “He’s just some kid Eren met at the mall.” Levi answered before snatching the papers out of the brunet’s hand.

            “He’s really nice,” Eren offered upon noting Erwin’s questioning glance. “Oh, and he thinks I’m Levi’s nephew too,” he added, remembering the lie Levi told.

            “Why is that?” Erwin asked, directing the question to Levi.

            “Would you have preferred me to say ‘Oh, this is Eren, the kid my friend and I picked up off the streets.’?” Although he kept his eyes on Erwin, Levi could still sense the awkward shifts from the brunet beside him, and he had to wonder if he had taken that comment too far. He didn’t mean to upset the brat if the comment was too harsh.

            And with the nagging feeling getting the better of him, Levi stole a peek at the brunet, noting how he was hunched over with his head hanging down and how his hands were gripping his knees underneath the table. “Eren?” He called out cautiously. He couldn’t help but feel worried that this would result in another “episode” from the brunet.

            Eren bit his lip as he desperately tried to chase away the memories creeping up on him. He was angry. He would have never ended up living on the streets if it wasn’t for his father, and all of his anger towards the man was threatening to surface, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. So, he forced his mind to focus on something- anything that would take his mind away from his past, and he was relieved and somewhat confused when images of cooking pancakes with Levi flashed through his mind. That wasn’t exactly what he was going for, but it worked nonetheless.

            When he finally looked up, he met eyes with Erwin’s concerned ones. “Will I be able to go to Pixis Academy if I fill out the application?”

            “Yes,” Erwin answered. “Does it sound like a good idea to you?”

            “Yea,” Eren said quietly before turning to Levi. “Can we go?”

            Levi cast an apologetic glance towards Erwin before standing to let Eren out. “I’ll meet you at the car in a minute.”

            Eren nodded and then quickly made his way out of the diner, clutching the school application close to his chest.

* * *

            “What was that?” Erwin asked as he watched Levi’s eyes trail after Eren.

            “I upset him,” Levi mumbled before clasping the buttons on his coat.

            “Sounds like you care,” Erwin pointed out playfully.

            “Hey,” Levi began, leaning down close to the blond. “Why did you tell Eren my real birthday?”

            “Why do you ask? Did he end up getting you something nice for your birthday?”

            Levi thought back to the note and allowed a small laugh to pass through his lips. “Yea, he did actually.”

            “Is that why you two are acting so differently around each other?” Erwin pulled out his wallet and fished around for a few bills. “Based on the cute bantering, I would say that you two might actually like each other.”

            “Maybe,” Levi muttered as his lips pulled up into a soft smile. “I should go. Gotta make sure he doesn’t try to run away or get hit by a car or something,” he added as he started towards the door. “I’ll make sure the application gets filled out and turned in.” He lifted his hand and gave a half-hearted wave as he approached the exit.

* * *

            “Talents?” Eren asked out loud as he stared down at the school application lying on Levi’s kitchen table. He had kept to himself for most of the day after leaving the diner and was thankful when Levi caught on that he didn’t want to talk. But, as the hours passed, he realized he needed help with the application and Levi was quick to agree when he had asked for help.

            “Being an annoying brat?” Levi suggested as he poured himself a glass of wine.

            “Um, yes, hi Mr. Pixis,” Eren began, acting out how he would greet the principal. “My name is Eren Jaeger. I’m a fifteen year old boy who is currently residing with a stranger. I specialize in annoying the fuck out of people. Please let me go to your school.” He finished- tone dripping with sarcasm.

            Levi choked on his wine, coughing slightly into the back of his hand as he stared intently at Eren.

            “What?” The brunet asked harshly.

            “Well… Jaeger?”

            “Yea, your point?” Eren asked- voice tinged with annoyance.

            “You do realize,” Levi began as he swirled his wine around in the glass, “that this is the first time you have told me your last name, right?” He couldn’t help but smile as he watched the brunet’s face scrunch up as if he were thinking deeply. “Easy now,” Levi started, pulling Eren’s attention back to him. “Don’t hurt yourself with all that thinking.”

            Eren scowled at him before turning back to the application. “Now that you know my last name, are you going to try to find out my life story?”

            “No,” Levi responded- voice softer than he expected. “I’ll wait for you to tell me the great story of Eren Jaeger.”

            Eren opened his mouth but no words came out. He wasn’t really sure how to respond to that. He didn’t want to come off as rude by saying that he would never tell. He sighed, running his fingers through his brown locks. “I’m not ready,” he finally said.

            “Fair enough,” Levi nodded before taking another sip of his wine. “Now, do you honestly think of me as a stranger? Me? The person you have been fucking living with for… for…” His words trailed off as his brows furrowed. “How long has it been exactly?”

            “I don’t fucking know.” Eren said as he huffed. “But, I don’t know anything about you.”

            “You know my name,” Levi began. “You know my birthday. You know where I live. You know where I work. You know that I have fetish for scary movies and wine. You know that I-”

            “That you are clean freak?” Eren interrupted- a playful smile tugging at his lips.

            “That I am a firm believer in cleanliness as well as good hygiene.”

            “Right,” Eren mumbled through a small laugh, “so a clean freak.” He watched as Levi opened his mouth to speak. “I get it though, okay?” He started again, cutting the older man off. “I know more than I think I do about you. Now, can you please help me finish this application?”

            Levi leaned back against his counter. “Put that you can draw well under talents.”

            “Why? I can’t draw.”

            “Yes, you can, actually.” Levi answered easily. “That picture on the note you wrote me was really good.”

            Eren thought back to the note. It seemed so long ago, but he remembered enjoying drawing that little Christmas tree. “Fine,” he muttered under his breath as he wrote ‘drawing’ under the Talents section. “I think I’m done,” he added, handing the application to Levi.

            Levi flipped through the application, pausing on the family section just long enough to see ‘Carla Jaeger- Deceased’ written next to the Mother section. He felt his shoulders sag as his mouth turned down into a frown. He wanted to continue reading because he really wanted to know about Eren. He would never admit it out loud, but he wanted to know what bad memories were plaguing the boy because he wanted to help.

            But, he flipped to the next page to avoid suspicion from the brunet. Once he finished, he handed the application back to Eren.

            “Should I put you in here as my uncle?” Eren asked as he flipped back to the family page.

            “Um, yea. Go ahead.” Levi turned to his sink to wash his cup out. He placed the cup back in the cabinet once he finished drying it and then turned back to the brunet, who was sitting with the completed application lying on the table. “Done?”

            “Yea.”

            Levi nodded. “Good. Let’s get some sleep. We’ll take the application over to the school tomorrow.”

            “Okay,” Eren mumbled as he picked the application up, hugging it close to his chest. “Night.” He turned to start towards the guest room.

            “Eren.”

            Stopping, Eren slowly turned around to face Levi. “What?”

            Levi closed the distance between the two. “I don’t really do this often but,” he paused, gliding his fingers through his black locks, “I said a really shitty thing back at the diner that obviously upset you, and so, I’m sorry.” He sidestepped around the brunet and quickly made his way to his room before Eren could say anything.

            Eren wanted to tell Levi that it was okay and that he wasn’t mad or anything, but Levi didn’t really give him the chance. He thought about going to Levi’s room to tell him, but quickly decided against it. It was clear that Levi had trouble saying he was sorry, so Eren realized he should just accept it and move on.

            The brunet walked quietly to the guest bedroom. He set the application on the bedside table before crawling into bed. He was really nervous about tomorrow; he was afraid they would ask him questions about his family in front of Levi. He really wasn’t ready to have that conversation, and he wasn’t sure if he ever would be.

            But, Eren found himself thinking that whenever he was ready to tell someone about it, Levi would be the first person he told.

            He closed his eyes, trying to decide when exactly it was that he started trusting Levi as he waited for sleep to take over. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! I had to get the keyboard replaced in my laptop and that took way longer than I had anticipated. And then classes started and with that came writer's block :/ 
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone had a great new year! (Super late I know)
> 
> And, I hope everyone enjoys!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's first day of school isn't how Levi would have liked it to be.

           The car ride to the school was silent, and Eren was thankful for that because he was afraid that his voice would waver if he had to speak. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was nervous. It had been so long since he’d been to school, and the thought of being around a bunch of school kids was a little unnerving. But, he kept reminding himself that Armin would be there- he eased his mind by replaying his first and only conversation he shared with the boy.

            He still didn’t really understand why the blond was so nice to him, but, upon seeing the school come into view, he realized he would find out soon enough. He didn’t plan on questioning it- it was just a matter on if Armin would act the same towards him or not. The brunet really hoped that Armin would, though. He could really use a friend- one that wasn’t older than him and prone to making snarky comments any chance he got.

            Eren unconsciously clenched his hands into fists atop his knees as the car came to a stop. He could feel the sweat beginning to drip down his temples while his heart rate drastically increased. He pressed his lips firmly together once he felt Levi’s dark eyes shift towards him.

            “Eren?” Levi studied the boy beside him, painfully aware of said boy’s apparent nerves.

            “I should g-go…” Eren turned his head away, reaching for the door handle while mentally cussing himself out for stuttering. How was he supposed to prove to Levi that he was an adult if he kept pulling childish shit like this?

            The brunet pulled the handle, preparing to shove the car door and escape before Levi could see his reddening face, but a firm grip on his wrist forced him to freeze.

            “Eren.” Levi tried again- voice holding a rather serious tone.

            “Are you trying to make me late?” Eren kept his face turned away from Levi- his voice barely above a whisper.

            “You have plenty of time,” Levi began, tightening his fingers around the brunet’s small wrist. “Now, would you quit being a brat and look at me.”

            Eren closed his eyes and let out a loud sigh- fully aware of how childish that was- before turning towards Levi, locking eyes with the dark ones watching him intently.

            Levi gave in to the smirk tugging on the corner of his lips as he took in Eren’s flushed face. His eyes zeroed in on the thin coat of sweat covering the brunet’s forehead. “So,” he started suddenly, causing the brunet to flinch, “either you went and got sick in a short amount of time, or you are really fucking nervous to go to school.”

            “If I say I’m sick, would you take me back to your apartment?” Eren’s gaze dropped to his hands. This was what he didn’t want to do- look weak, especially in front of Levi. But, he just didn’t know if he felt ready to go to school. He was afraid of what would happen if people found out that he had been homeless. This just wasn’t something he was ready to deal with.

            “No.” Levi’s firm answer pierced through the brunet’s thoughts. He loosened his grip on Eren’s wrist while lifting his other hand, brushing it slightly against Eren’s cheek. “Yea, you aren’t sick.” He noted the silence from the brunet and decided to continue. He had to get the brat excited for school, so he wouldn’t have to listen to him whine later on.

            “I don’t know what you are so nervous about,” Levi started again, “but, just be nice and I’m sure all of those little shits you will be calling classmates will be nice back.”

            Eren nodded, smiling slightly. He turned and pushed the door open, stepping outside and shouldering his backpack.

            “And, Eren?” Levi watched as the brunet turned around- and damn he couldn’t help but gawk at Eren because the kid looked fucking fantastic in his school uniform.

            “What?”

            Levi shook his head, clearing his mind before locking eyes with Eren’s- and wow, did those gorgeous turquoise eyes stand out against his black blazer.

            “Um, Levi?” Eren tilted his head, staring down at the older male with furrowed brows.

            “Don’t take bullshit from anyone, Eren.” Levi stated with a low voice once he was done secretly ogling the boy.  

            “Um, okay?” Eren nodded lightly but kept his eyes locked onto Levi’s narrow ones.

            “Seriously, Eren. I want you to be nice, but don’t be some kind of push-over.” Levi turned away, motioning with one hand for Eren to close the door.

            Eren obliged, closing the door before starting towards the entrance- he kept his eyes sharp as he searched for any person that looked like Armin. He was still nervous; he almost wanted to run back to the car and beg Levi to take him back, but what good would that do? Levi and Erwin helped him get to this point, so he should be grateful for being able to go to school again.

            “Just lay low,” he mumbled to himself as he climbed the steps of Pixis Academy.

            Levi waited until he was sure that Eren got into the school before putting his car back into drive, pulling at of the parking lot and making his way to the mall.

* * *

            Levi’s day at work had been going as every other day would. He sat around at his computer, waiting for Erwin to come in and ask about something he didn’t really care about. Occasionally, Hanji would come in and chat with him a bit about how Eren has been doing, and he would respond with the same thing- “Things are fine”.

            Truthfully, although his day was just like any other, he couldn’t seem to get his mind off of that brat. It’s been three hours since he dropped the brunet off, and he really hoped that Eren was doing well and making friends- well not too many friends because that, he assumed, would quickly escalade into multiple shitty brats hanging in his apartment, and he did not want that.

            He shook his head to clear his thoughts just as his office phone started ringing. Glancing at the caller ID, he didn’t recognize the number and contemplated on letting the answering machine get it but soon realized he would probably have to deal with it later if he doesn’t answer it now.

            With an incredibly loud sigh, Levi picked up the phone. “Colossal Mall.” He said into the phone, not trying very hard to hide the annoyance in his tone.

            _“Mr. Rivaille?”_

Levi’s lips quickly curled down into a frown- brows knitting together as he tried to think of why he recognized the voice. “Who is this?” He questioned harshly.

            _“I’m Armin. I go to Pixis Academy with Eren.”_

Flashes of the blond boy from the mall shot through Levi’s mind. He nodded to himself once he got a clear mental image. “Right,” he mumbled into the phone. “Why are you calling?” He questioned- fully aware that his conversation was going to involve Eren in the next five seconds.

            _“It’s Eren.”_

Levi rested his free hand atop his car keys lying on his desk. He didn’t like how cautious the boy sounded- almost as if he was afraid and opted to tread lightly. “Go on,” he hissed into the phone- voice tinged with aggravation and a rather large dash of concern.

            _“He got into a fight. He’s being suspended for the rest of the day and tomorrow.”_

Levi fell back against his chair, sighing in relief. Sure, a fight was bad, and the freaking kid got suspended on his first day of school. And, he has no idea how to punish him or if he should tell Erwin. But, he was glad that it wasn’t something else- his mind wandered off to one of the “episodes” Eren had had in the past.

            _“Mr. Rivaille?”_

“Sorry, what?” Levi asked, unaware that the boy had been talking the whole time.

            _“I had asked if you could come and get Eren. He didn’t want anyone to contact you for him, but I’m worried about him, and I don’t think it would be good for him to walk home on his own.”_

“Yea,” Levi said as he scooped his car keys up. “I’ll be there in ten minutes, so tell him to stay put.” With that being said, he hung up the phone and snatched his coat off the back of his chair before storming out of the office, taking the back way out of the mall to avoid Erwin and Hanji.

* * *

            Levi arrived at the school in just six minutes. He would tell people that he was an excellent driver, but really, he had sped the whole way there- not enough to endanger others, or at least that’s what he told himself.

            He took the school steps two at a time despite his short legs, stopping at the top to step aside for some woman and some kid walking out. His dark eyes zeroed in on the boy walking out; he visibly shuddered at the sight of the kid’s face.

            The boy’s face looked as if it would require plastic surgery. He had a swollen bottom lip and two black bruises forming around his eyes. What seemed to be the worst to Levi, however, was the kid’s nose- it was crooked and a very dark shade of purple and gushing blood like a freaking waterfall. He actually had a small thought that kid would die of blood loss in the next few minutes if he didn’t get immediate medical attention.

            But, there was no time for Levi to be concerned for this brat because this kid was fairly muscular, and that made Levi fear for Eren’s condition, so he bolted into the building, turning corners until he saw Armin standing outside of some room.

            “Armin.” He said to the blond as he approached him, eyes flicking to the clear window where he could see inside the room. His eyes darted around until he spotted a figure hunched up on a chair in the very corner of the room. “Shit,” he breathed out as he sidestepped around the blond, reaching for the doorknob.

            “Wait,” Armin called out softly, daring to rest his hand on Levi’s arm. “Are you mad?” He met Levi’s cold eyes and then continued. “I’m not trying to pry into your personal business, but Eren kept mumbling about how he should just leave and that he is just a burden to you.”

            Levi’s eyes widened as he turned his head to stare at the blond.

            “He seems really vulnerable right now. I’m not really sure what the fight was about, but he seemed really mad at Jean.” Armin said, offering what knowledge he could to keep Eren out of trouble. He really liked Eren, so he wanted to do what he could to help him. “I know Jean. He’s not a bad guy, but he can be a jerk sometimes.”

            “Is Jean the brat that just left with some woman?” Levi asked, raising his brows.

            “Yes,” Armin mumbled, thinking back to Jean’s face once the fight was broken up.

            “Thanks for calling me,” Levi muttered as he twisted the doorknob. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this.”

            With that said, Levi carefully pushed the door open and stepped into the room, turning slightly to close the door as quietly as he could. He had to be cautious because Eren had proved to be unpredictable just about every day he’s been with the kid, so he didn’t want some loud noise- such as the door closing- to set the brunet off.

            Levi crept over to the chair Eren was occupying, growing more and more uneasy the closer he got. He stopped once he got to the chair, shifting around until he was kneeling on the ground in front of Eren- silently reminding himself to wash his pants at least three times because he didn’t know who has walked on the floor, and just the thought disgusted him.

            “Eren,” he called out softly, willing the boy to reveal himself.

            Eren slowly lifted his head up off his arms, reluctantly meeting Levi’s gaze.

            “Holy shit,” Levi cursed as he reached up, wrapping his fingers around the brunet’s chin. He jerked the boy’s face to the left and then to the right before dropping his hand and standing up. “How..?”  He stopped, looking down at the one, small bruise below Eren’s right eye. “How the fuck did you come out of that fight with one fucking microscopic bruise!?”

            “I-”

            “Oh shit,” Levi started again, cutting Eren off. “He hit you in the stomach didn’t he?” As soon as the words left his mouth, the older man reached down, shoving Eren’s arms out of the way so he could yank said boy’s shirt up. His eyes darted across the pale yet seemingly fine stomach before he pulled the shirt back down. “I don’t get it. That kid is obviously stronger than you, so how the hell did you manage to fuck him up so bad and come out with this baby bruise?” He questioned, gesturing towards the small bruise.

            “I was pissed.” Eren mumbled, looking down at his hands.

            “Clearly,” Levi muttered as he looked around the room. “So, am I supposed to like tell someone I’m taking you home, or?” He walked over to peek through the glass of some door located at the opposite end of the room.

            “The principal,” Eren said- voice barely audible. He lifted his shaking hand and pointed to a door right outside of the room they were in.

            “Wait here,” Levi called out as he opened the door to exit the room. “Seriously,” he started again as he glanced over his shoulder at the brunet. “Don’t even think about leaving.”

            After receiving a hesitant nod from Eren, Levi stepped out of the room, moving across the hallway to knock on the door labeled ‘Principal’.

* * *

            “Your nephew can throw quite the punch,” Principal Pixis stated after Levi declined the offer to take a seat.

            “I noticed,” Levi grumbled as he leaned against a wall by the door.

            “I wish I knew what the fight was about. Both boys refused to talk.” The principal said as he flopped down into his chair.

            “I intend to find out,” Levi stated matter-of-factly.

            “Would you be willing to share the information with me?”

            Levi’s eyes narrowed until he was shooting a piercing glare at the principal. “No. But, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He pushed himself off the wall and turned to the door.

            “The kid’s got spunk, ya know,” Principal Pixis called out suddenly, causing Levi to glance over his shoulder. “But, it’s obvious that something is eating away at him.” Upon seeing the frightening glare from the shorter man, Mr. Pixis held his hands up, laughing slightly. “I won’t ask what it is. I just hope whatever is plaguing him gets resolved soon. That kid deserves to be happy.”

            Levi turned his head back to face the door. “I know,” he muttered under his breath before pushing the door open.

* * *

            “Let’s go,” Levi said from the entrance of the room Eren was, thankfully, still in.

            Eren jumped out of the chair, racing after the shorter man. “Are you mad?” He questioned with a wavering voice as he fell into step beside the older man.

            “I don’t know yet,” Levi grumbled, stopping suddenly- which caused Eren to halt beside him. He locked eyes with the trembling turquoise ones watching him. “But, I want to know why the fuck you decided to use that brat as your personal punching bag.”

            “I-”

            Levi lifted his hand, cutting the brunet off. “I don’t want some bullshit, Eren. I want the truth.”

            Eren let out a shaky sigh before nodding. His father’s voice echoed throughout his mind. _“Never trust anyone…”_

            He curled his hands into fists as he willed the voice to shut the hell up. He wanted to trust Levi. Why the hell should he listen to some advice that was given to him by his so-called father, who ran away just minutes after his mother died?

            Not every person in the world could be shitty like the supposed “family friend” he was forced to stay with.

            “Eren?”

            Eren nodded again as he slowed his breathing down. Now was not the time for some unwanted visit to his past.

            “Okay.” He said before he and Levi started towards the parking lot. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I love Jean... A lot. So, I will go easy on him as the story progresses. I don't think I could type asshole Jean through the whole fic. 
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's gonna tell Levi all about his day at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like the italicized parts are Eren telling Levi what happened. I just typed it in third person because I didn’t want to type it in first. Just thought I should mention this in case it seems confusing. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_Eren stepped into the small classroom – eyes falling onto the desk in the back corner next to the only window. He maneuvered around the other desks until he reached the one he would call his own, hanging his backpack on the back of the chair before plopping down into the seat._

* * *

            “How the hell do you expect to make friends if you sit in the back of the fucking room?” Levi spit out as he eyed the brunet seated beside him.

            Eren huffed while falling back against the couch. He rolled his head to the side, peering over at the older male. “I’m not just going to sit in the middle of the room surrounded by everyone, like ‘Hey guys, I’m Eren! Please be my friend!’ That’s just screaming desperation.”

            Levi’s lips curled down into a frown- eyebrows knitted close together. “It’s not desperation. It’s called making friends.”

            “What are you, like eighty years old?” Eren questioned harshly, earning a punch in the arm from the older man. His initial response was to puff his lips out into a pout while mumbling child abuse, but he thought better.

            Instead, the brunet pulled his lips into a thin line while narrowing his eyes, mustering up the best piercing glare he could manage. “Adult abuse,” he stated firmly.

            “Would it still be considered abuse if we are both adults?” Levi asked- holding a slightly playful tone.

            “But, I’m a minor!” Eren shouted, leaning up and throwing his hands into the air.

            “Minor… Child… Same thing.” Levi cupped his hand over his mouth, chuckling quietly as he witnessed the flustered brunet.

            “Whatever,” Eren snapped as he sagged back against the couch. “Can I continue without your stupid interruptions?”

            Levi waved Eren to go on as he reached for his wine glass.

* * *

_The brunet propped his chin into his open palm as he stared out the window, watching the many kids racing to get into the building. He sighed quietly to himself, allowing his mind to wander off, only to be interrupted by a presence at his side._

_“Hey.”_

_Eren lifted his head and turned until he was looking up at the owner of the voice- a tall boy with weird hair… Was it darker at the bottom? “What?” He questioned the boy, already regretting how hostile he sounded._

_“You’re in my seat,” the other boy pointed out as he motioned towards the desk._

_“Leave him be, Jean. He’s new.”_

_Another voice chimed in- one Eren recognized. “Armin!” He shouted as the blond came into his view._

_“I’m so glad you decided to come here,” Armin said, wearing a contagious smile._

* * *

            “Oh hey, is Armin in your class?” Levi asked, interrupting the brunet.

            “I’m fucking getting there. Stop rushing me.” Eren griped before continuing.

* * *

_Eren beamed at the blond, suddenly feeling a hell of a lot better about this whole school thing. “Are you in this class too?” He asked, completely ignoring the other boy, who was watching the scene with a look of disgust._

_“Yep!” Armin’s smile widened as he held up his History book._

            _A wave of relief washed over Eren as he smiled with the blond. He thought that he was doing well- his first class at a brand new school hadn’t even started yet and he already had a friend. “I wanted to thank you for being so nice at the mall,” Eren blurted out, watching the blond’s face scrunch up in confusion._

_“Why?” Armin asked, eyeing the brunet closely._

_“I don’t know...” Eren paused for a moment, looking down at his hands. “It was just really awesome and you were really awesome…” He spit out quickly- the words meshing together._

_The sound of a soft laugh had Eren looking back up at Armin._

_“You don’t need to thank me for that,” Armin said. “And, I’m glad to see you looking well.”_

_Eren looked down again as a small blush spread across his cheeks. Maybe, he thought, with Armin, this whole school situation would be kinda fun._

_“Are you two done?”_

_Oh yea, Eren thought. He was still sitting in that other guy’s seat. He reached behind him to grab his backpack but stopped as a small hand landed on his arm. His arm froze as he carefully peered up at the blond._

_“He doesn’t have to move, Jean.” Armin stated. “The class just started, so it’s not technically your seat.”_

_Eren’s eyes shifted towards Jean, closely watching as the boy opened his mouth to retort, only to stop as soon as a different person walked up to him._

_“Hey Jean, what’s going on?”_

_Eren eyed the new person- some boy with freckles and dark brown hair that was styled in a way that kinda reminded Eren of Levi._

_“Nothing, Marco,” Armin answered before Jean had the chance to even open his mouth._

_Eren couldn’t help but feel like this conversation was over just from the sound of Armin’s voice- it sounded somewhat demanding but not obviously demanding. He watched as the blond claimed the seat in front of him and then turned his attention to the two boys still standing beside him._

_“I’m Marco,” Marco said, extending his hand to Eren._

_Eren looked at the hand for a moment before shaking his head and shooting an apologetic look at Marco while grabbing his hand. “Sorry, I’m Eren.”_

_“Nice to meet you, Eren.” Marco started. “Do you mind if Jean and I sit beside you?” He asked, gesturing to the two chairs close to him in the row beside Eren._

_“Uh… No..?” Eren looked at the two boys with raised brows. “Sit wherever you want.” He watched as Marco smiled and took the seat beside him while Jean took the seat beside Armin._

* * *

            “Wait, so…”

            “Ugh, Levi!” Eren shouted, causing the older of the two to wince slightly.

            Levi gave Eren a venomous glare- and said boy found himself curling away from the frightening stare.

            Eren shifted a bit, putting some distance between them before mumbling an apology. He rubbed his hands down his pant legs as the room fell silent- that is until a rough throat clearing pierced through the tension. “Wha-what were you going to say?” He finally asked.

            “Does that Marco kid really have hair like mine?” Levi fiddled with a strand of his hair while he waited for an answer.

            “Is that really what you want to fucking know?” Eren questioned- obvious anger building in his tone.

            “Well, yea. That’s why I asked.” Levi responded flatly.

            Eren let out a long sigh before shaking his head. “It just kinda reminded me of your hair.”

            “…Should I change my hair?” Levi asked as he brushed his fingers through his dark locks.

            “What?!” Eren shouted before waving his hands in front of his face as he was given a scolding look from Levi. “Sorry… But, that doesn’t matter. Your hair is fine. Now, I’m about to stop talking and leave the room because you clearly don’t want to hear what happened considering you keep fucking interrupting me.”

            “Stop being a brat,” Levi ordered before motioning for Eren to continue.

* * *

_The class, Eren thought, was okay. He was rather annoyed when he had to stand up and introduce himself- like, is this Kindergarten or something? The material wasn’t anything new to the brunet; he knew these classes always started with shit you learned when you were like six, but he diligently took notes because he didn’t want to disappoint Levi or Erwin- he was there because of them, so he was going to strive to make all A’s._

* * *

            “How sweet,” Levi mumbled, taking his chance to speak again after noticing that the brunet had gotten quiet. “I’m glad you want to do well in school for me, but do well for yourself too.”

            Eren kept his eyes locked onto his clasped hands. He was already finished telling about his first class, and he had one more class until the fight happened, and honestly, he didn’t really want to talk about it anymore. But, he wanted to keep his word, and he knew he would have to tell it sooner or later.

            “Are you going to continue? I’m still waiting for the action, ya know.” Levi studied the brunet; he knew that the fight was coming, and he really wanted to fucking know what happened. He needed to know if he had to go kick some brat’s ass or not.

            Eren reached for his cup, sipping at his water before deciding to continue.

* * *

_As soon as the bell sounded, Eren was out of his seat and at the door in seconds; he wanted to ensure that he had plenty of time to find his next class. He faintly heard someone calling his name and turned around in time to spot Armin running towards him._

_“What’s you next class?” The blond asked as he approached Eren._

_“Um,” Eren glanced down at the schedule in his hands. “Art.”_

_“I’ll take you there,” Armin offered as he started down the hallway._

_Eren followed in silence, taking the time to watch all of the students bustling by. He managed to catch Jean out of the corner of his eye, who was laughing with some kid sporting a buzz cut._

_After a few more moments, Armin stopped in front of an empty classroom. Eren glanced in- eyes darting across all of the easels with blank, white sheets of paper on them._

_“You should probably stop at your locker after this class,” Armin said, catching the brunet’s attention. “There’s no need to carry all of your books around.”_

_Eren nodded before taking a step inside of the classroom._

_“What’s you locker number?”_

_Eren peered down at the schedule once more. “105.”_

_“Okay,” Armin began. “I’ll meet you there after class, and we can go to lunch together. Don’t worry, I heard Connie and Sasha are in this class, so you will definitely have fun.” And with that, Armin smiled at the brunet and waved before turning and heading in the opposite direction._

_Eren watched until he could no longer see the blond before tuning until he was staring out at the empty classroom. He made his way to the easel in the back corner- hopefully it wasn’t already someone’s place._

_He dropped his backpack to the floor before hopping up onto the stool. He gently grazed his hand along the wooden pencils resting on the easel, finally picking one up and rolling it around in his hand. It felt nice- it was light and seemed to fit into his hand perfectly. He hunched over, pencil readied, but stopped upon hearing voices enter the room._

_Eren watched as a brunette girl and a really freaking tall guy walked into the room, chatting with each other. He quickly set the pencil down and dipped his head- bangs covering his face._

_“Are you Eren?”_

_Does, Eren thought, the whole fucking school know him? He slowly lifted his head, jumping back and almost slipping of off the stool due to the brunette planted mere inches away from his face. “Y-yea,” he muttered as he steadied himself._

_“I’m Sasha!” The brunette smiled at him before gesturing to the tall guy behind her- really, Eren was jealous of how tall he was. The kid was like a giant, towering over the brunette in front of him. He had to wonder how the kid didn’t hit his head when he walked into the room._

* * *

            “I get it Eren. The kid was fucking tall, now move on.” Levi hissed while reaching for the wine bottle on the table.

            Eren pressed his palm against his mouth, trying- and failing- to hide his growing laughter. “Are you mad, Levi?”

            Levi slowly lifted his gaze from his wine, locking eyes with Eren’s. “The only person that is going to be mad is you when I kick your ass for being a little brat, now continue the damn story.”

            “Okay, okay,” Eren said in between laughs, stopping to take a deep breath before continuing.

* * *

_Eren nodded to the tall boy behind Sasha._

_“This is Bert! Well…. It’s actually Bertolt, but no one knows how to say that, so we all just call him Bert!”_

_Eren bit down on his lower lip- hadn’t the girl just said his name perfectly? Clearly, she could say it just fine. “Are you okay with being called Bert?” He found himself asking the tall boy._

_Bertolt nodded once before turning to sit in a stool kind of close to Eren._

_Eren turned his attention back to the brunette, who was still oddly close to his face. “Did you need something?” He questioned quietly._

_“Do you have anything to eat?” Sasha asked eagerly._

_“No?” Eren was taken aback by the question. First there was some guy claiming he stole his seat, and now there’s some girl asking for food. What’s next?_

_“Bummer,” the brunette muttered before taking the easel to the right of him._

_Eren picked at his nails while he waited for the class to start. A few minutes later, a teacher- some woman- walked in and stopped once she reached the front of the classroom._

_“I’m Riko,” the teacher began, “and yes, I want you to call me Riko.”_

_Eren watched as she eyed everyone in the room before continuing, and he leaned to the side to get a better view of the woman, listening intently to the classroom rules._

_It had only been a minute before something caught Eren’s eye, and he glanced to the right to see the door to the classroom slowly opening. His eyes darted across the room to see if anyone else had noticed, but everyone seemed oblivious- what if a fucking murderer was about to sneak in there? Why, he thought, can’t anyone see the door obviously opening?_

_He lowered his head, wringing his shaking hands while mentally repeating how he wasn’t ready to die, before…_

_“Connie Springer.”_

_Eren looked up at the teacher and then to the kid with the buzz cut, who was currently on all fours, using the easels to hide himself._

_Said kid jumped up and gave a huge wave to the teacher. “Hi, Riko!”_

_“Why are you in my class again?” Riko questioned harshly._

_“Because you are my favorite teacher?” Connie smiled at the teacher._

_“Are you asking me that or telling me that?” The teacher asked- both eyebrows raised._

_“Telling you, of course,” Connie said before taking the seat in front of Eren._

_“Anyway,” Riko said before continuing with the rules._

_Eren replayed Armin’s words in his mind- now he knew who Connie and Sasha were, and they were both…interesting for sure._

_“Your first assignment is to simply draw something,” Riko said, pulling Eren out of his thoughts. “I just want to see everyone’s skills.”_

_And with that, the teacher moved to sit at her desk and Eren once again picked up the pencil, leaning forward and pressing the lead against the white paper._

* * *

            “Am I going to get a two hour description of your picture?” Levi asked. He and Eren had moved into the kitchen because it was nearing dinner time, and Eren was practically starving- he did miss lunch after all.

            “No,” Eren mumbled before starting the story back up.

* * *

_The class had ended a lot faster than Eren would have liked; he knew it was the same length as all of the other classes, but this one seemed to fly by. But, he did manage to finish his picture, and he nervously wiped his hands on his jeans as Riko approached his easel._

_“This is…very nice,” Riko stated as she viewed Eren’s picture. She patted his shoulder once before moving on to another student._

_Eren let out a puff of air he didn’t realize he had been holding the entire time, jerking back a moment later once his paper was snatched up off of his easel. He glared at Connie, who was holding the paper out at arms-length._

_“She’s beautiful,” Connie mumbled. “No wonder Riko complimented it.”_

_Sasha moved around until she could see the picture as well. “Wow, who is she?”_

_Eren stood, grabbing his backpack before accepting the paper from Connie. “My mother,” he muttered under his breath. He then turned and raced out of the room before Connie had a chance to speak._

* * *

            Levi stopped stirring the soup he was making to turn around and face the brunet, who had fallen silent. “Can I see the picture?” He asked carefully as he approached the boy.

            “It’s in my locker,” Eren whispered, keeping his eyes locked on his hands. “The story is almost done,” he started again with a slightly louder voice after a few quiet moments.

            “Alright,” Levi nodded before walking back over to the soup.

* * *

_After he left art, Eren went to his locker. He tossed the now folded picture into the bottom of the locker before placing some of his books inside. Someone calling his name had him turning around just in time to see Jean walking towards him._

_Words were said, fists were thrown, and blood was shed._

* * *

            “The end,” Eren said as he shoved his chair back and stood, spinning on his heel and starting towards the living room.

            “Sit down.”

            Eren stopped, shuddering at Levi’s tone. He slowly turned his head until he met Levi’s cold stare.

            “Sit. Down.”

            Eren tilted his head down- bangs hiding his face. He reluctantly shuffled back over to the kitchen chair, easing his tense body down onto it.

            “I said no bullshit, and I meant it. Now tell me what the fuck happened.” Levi switched his stove off and moved over to the table with two bowls of steaming soup, and Eren’s stomach chose that exact moment to growl loudly.

            Levi stopped right before the table; he looked at the brunet looking up hopefully at the soup before taking a step back to set both bowls on the counter. “No one eats until you talk.”

            “I didn’t eat lunch,” Eren tried, but Levi held his hand up to stop him.

            “I didn’t either, so I’m just as hungry as you, and I’m getting really pissed because you are wasting time. With all of this stalling, I would say that you were the one who started the fight.” Levi cocked an eyebrow.

            “It’s not like that!” Eren shouted, slamming both hands down onto the table.

            “Then fucking talk,” Levi spit out as he leaned against the counter.

            Eren curled his hands into fists before taking in a deep breath.

* * *

_Eren turned to greet the boy now standing at his locker. He gave Jean a small nod before briefly turning to close his locker._

_“No hard feelings for earlier, okay?” Jean asked, returning the nod Eren gave him. “I just sat in that seat in a different class.”_

_“It’s cool,” Eren muttered- eyes darting around the hall, searching for Armin._

_“Say, Eren,” Jean started again, grabbing the brunet’s attention, “have you ever been hounded by a homeless person?”_

_Eren’s eyes widened as his jaw practically fell to the floor. Where the fuck did that question come from? Did he know? Did this asshole know that he was homeless before? Panic began to set in before he could even take a breath. He was out on the streets a lot- Jean could have easily seen him. Shit- his hands started to shake at his sides, and damn… Was that sweat sliding down his face?_

_“Hey, easy,” Jean held both hands up, taking a cautious step towards the brunet._

_“Why?” Eren asked- his voice sounded so far away._

_“Well,” Jean began, “the other day I was walking home from a convenience store, and it was pretty late, and randomly this man came limping up to me. I told him to get away, but he kept following me, begging me for money. It was really annoying, so finally I turned around and told him to fuck off. I mean why would I give money to him? For all I know, he could have been lying to get money for some beer.”_

_Eren’s shaking hands curled into fists- but everything felt so strange. It was like he had no control over his movements. “What if he was starving?” Eren growled, ignoring the questioning look on Jean’s face. “What if he was dying?”_

_“Well, he was practically hacking all over me- thought I was gonna get the plague or something.”_

_The next second was a blur. Eren felt his arm raise then pull back before shooting forward- fist making contact with Jean’s face._

_And, that was all it took to have a herd of students crowding around them._

_“What the fuck?!” Jean screamed before throwing a punch at the brunet, who tried to dodge but didn’t fully succeed for Jean’s knuckles crashed below his right eye._

_Jean stood, panting while he carefully poked at his swelling eye. He watched Eren with his good eye and gasped when the brunet locked eyes with his._

_Eren stared at Jean with narrow eyes until he was no longer seeing Jean- he saw his father, and his blood started to boil at the mere sight of the man. He could faintly hear someone- probably Armin- calling out his name. He ignored it though, why should he stop hurting the person who made his life hell?_

_The brunet pushed himself off of the locker, raising his fist and swinging his arm around as fast he could until his fist made contact with what he believed was his father’s face once more- a loud cracking noise followed by a scream echoed throughout the oddly silent hallway._

_Eren heard the cry and thought that it didn’t sound very much like his father. He looked down at the person, who had fallen to the floor, with wild eyes, gasping when he saw the asshole he was forced to live with when his father abandoned him. Was he not fighting his father?_

* * *

            “Eren-”

            “Stop,” Eren mumbled. “You wanted to hear this, so let me finish.”

            Levi stared at the brunet with worry-filled eyes before nodding.

* * *

_“Eren!”_

_“Jean!”_

_Eren could hear the names being shouted out, but… Why was Jean’s name being said? Jean wasn’t there… Was he?_

_He ignored the screams as he fell on top of who he thought to be the douche who further made his life hell, getting in two good punches- one to the good eye and the other to the nose again- before a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him away._

_“Easy,” someone hissed into Eren’s ear, and he craned his neck to see some bulky, blond guy- and shit this guy was strong. There was no way the brunet could get away from him._

_He slowly turned his attention back to the front, witnessing Armin and Marco crouched beside… Jean? He wasn’t fighting Jean, was he? He was punching his father, wasn’t he? Then that asshole he was forced to stay with when his father left, right?_

_Eren’s heart was hammering against his chest. He stared at Jean with a genuine look of horror. There was so much blood, and he felt sick to his stomach. How..? How the hell did this happen? He remembered being mad at Jean because of the whole homeless thing, but… How did one punch turn into a brawl with people who weren’t even there? How did one punch cause his mind to dive into his past?_

_Eren thought his head was going to explode from all of the questions hitting him, but there was one thing he knew for sure._

_He fucked up._

* * *

 

            “After that, the guy that grabbed me, Reiner apparently, let me go, and then Armin came to talk to me. I told him that I didn’t think it was Jean, but he didn’t really understand.  Then, he called you, and you came.” Eren finished, dropping his head into his cupped hands.

            “Where did you learn to fight like that?” Levi decided to ask first- it wasn’t important, but hell, he was genuinely curious.

            “Sometimes you have to fight people off when you’re homeless,” Eren started. “Sometimes you run into people that try to steal the blanket you rummaged in the trash for or the box you were lucky enough to find behind a furniture store.”

            “You’ve been in a lot of fights?” Levi picked up the two bowls and moved over to the kitchen table.

            “Yea.”

            Levi nodded once, setting the bowl in front of Eren. He then claimed the seat beside the boy, but didn’t dive into his soup as the brunet did. “Who was the asshole you were forced to live with after your father left?”

            Eren looked up from his soup- the soft clink of the spoon hitting the bowl sounded in the silent room. “I don’t want to talk about this. I told you, I’m not ready.” He finally said, breaking the silence.

             Levi nodded, dipping his spoon into his soup- he opted not to push the kid beacuse he realized the kid was practically on the verge of tears, and he really did not want to see that. “You really kicked his ass, huh?” He finally asked, trying to lighten the boy’s mood some.

            “I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Eren muttered, pushing his bowl away from him. “My stomach hurts.”

            Wow, Levi thought to himself. He really wasn’t good at this whole consoling thing. He nudged the bowl back towards the brunet after a few moments. “No, it doesn’t. Tell your emotions to fuck off so you can eat your soup.”

            “Fuck off emotions,” Eren mumbled under his breath as he scooped up some of the warm broth.

            The two ate in silence for a while. Levi wasn’t really sure how to feel. He supposed he understood why Eren was initially mad at Jean- the kid said shit about the homeless, and Eren took it personally. But, he let his past emotions get the better of him, and that turned violent- like beyond high school fight violent. Clearly, Levi thought, the kid really fucking hated his father and the other asshole.

             Levi was scared- not of Eren. He could take the kid if he had too. But, he was afraid of something like this happening again with a much worse outcome. And, how the hell was Eren supposed to recover from this at school? Would everyone hate him now? Would he have to pull the kid out of school?

            A knock on the door pulled Levi out of his thoughts. He glanced at Eren, who gave him a questioning look, before making his way to the door.

            Pulling the door open, he eyed the two boys standing before him before letting out a loud sigh then leading them inside. “Eren,” he called out as he guided the two toward the kitchen. “My hair is a lot better than Freckles over here.” He sidestepped so the two could see Eren.

            “Armin?! Marco?!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait, okay… So, I struggled so much typing this- not at first. The beginning was good, but everything suddenly got so difficult when I got to the fight. I felt like pressure to make this good, and I don’t know… I’m pretty okay with how it turned out, and I hope you guys feel the same. 
> 
> The ending is kind of abrupt, but I wasn't sure where to end it, and this chapter is really long, so I decided to end it there.
> 
> Also, hey! This is being uploaded super early! Normally I don’t upload until like midnight or later, but here it is now! 
> 
> Mmm, sorry in advance for any errors I may have missed, and   
> I hope everyone enjoys!


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Armin and Marco are all friendly and such and later Eren finds a way to temporarily forget everything.

           Eren pressed his palms against the kitchen table, pushing himself up to his feet- paying no regards to his chair that had toppled backwards. His turquoise eyes widened as he gaped at the two boys before they narrowed as he studied the soft, inviting smiles the two boys wore.

            To say Eren was confused would be an understatement. It didn’t make sense why two boys, who were friends with the boy he beat up hours ago, showed up at Levi’s apartment sporting friendly looks. How could they not want to yell at him or ignore him for what he did?

            “Eren.”

            Eren blinked a few times, shaking his head before bringing his attention towards Levi, who was watching him with raised brows. “Uh,” he started, turning back to Armin and Marco. “Sorry, do you want to sit down?” He asked while he quickly motioned to the vacant chairs around the table.

            The two boys moved towards the table while Levi let out a noisy sigh as he walked over to fix the fallen chair before Eren tried to sit.

            Eren glanced over his shoulder to see Levi lifting the chair. “Sorry,” he mumbled to the older man.

            “It’s fine. Just try not to destroy my kitchen, got it?” Levi said before turning to exit the room.

            “W-where are you going?”

            Levi stopped in his tracks as he heard obvious panic in the brunet’s voice. He looked back at the boy, locking eyes with the trembling turquoise ones. He offered the brunet a calm expression. “I’m going to take a shower. You know where to find me if you need me.”

            Eren nodded- not trusting his voice at the moment. His eyes lingered on Levi’s back as he watched the older man disappear into the hallway.

            “Eren?”

            Eren gulped before turning his attention to the blond, mentally preparing his ‘I’m really sorry for everything’ speech. He closed his eyes after a few moments, releasing a quiet sigh before opening his eyes and looking at the two boys. “I’m-”

            “Don’t.” Armin ordered, cutting the brunet off. He softened his features once he noted the brunet’s confused expression. “We already know that you’re sorry,” he assured.

            Eren’s eyes darted between the two boys. If they didn’t come for an apology, then why were they there? “Um, what would you like me to say then?” He questioned.

            “Nothing right now,” Armin started, “we just want you to listen.” He peered over at Marco, who appeared to be nervous.

            “Uh, okay…” Eren muttered.

            The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Eren was pretty sure he was going to go crazy if no one spoke in the next ten seconds; he briefly wondered what would become of Levi’s kitchen if he were to go insane in it before Marco decided to speak.

            “The fight wasn’t your fault…”

            Eren stared at the freckled-boy in disbelief; he waited for the catch because surely Marco was joking. There was no way that the fight wasn’t his fault; he thought back to it and clearly remembered throwing the first punch. So, what the hell was Marco talking about?

            “I don’t understand…” Eren said finally- not realizing sooner that Armin and Marco had been anxiously waiting for a response.

            “I should have just gone to you instead…” Marco’s gaze dropped to his clasped hands underneath the table.

            “What does that mean?” Eren asked with an alert tone. He looked between the two boys frantically, wanting an answer. “I punched Jean first.”

            “Yea, but he angered you because of that question.” Armin offered upon noticing Marco’s distress.

            Okay, if Eren wasn’t panicking before, then he was really panicking now. He began to quickly tap his foot while curling his hands into fists to hopefully hide the shaking. “I…” Shit, he had no idea what to say, but he knew he needed to say something fast. “What?” He spit out, cursing himself mentally for acting like a sputtering idiot.

            “He asked you if you had been bothered by a homeless person, remember?” Armin eyed the brunet, sensing his obvious discomfort. A part of him wanted to just stop this conversation right now because he truly saw Eren as a friend, and he hated seeing the brunet look so… scared. But, the other part of him wanted answers; he wanted Eren to trust him. And, this part of the blond was overpowering the other.

            “Um, y-yea…” Eren mumbled. “It was a stupid question. I shouldn’t have gotten mad…”  That, the brunet thought, sounded believable, right?

            “Well, if you had personal experience with being homeless, then your anger was justified.” Armin stated matter-of-factly.

            Eren jumped to his feet, slamming his fists against the table- once again unaware of the chair toppling over behind him. “What are you trying to say?” He growled, causing the two boys to slightly flinch away.

            “I’m saying that you were previously homeless,” Armin said calmly. He waited for some kind of response- a yell or just something- but, Eren was frighteningly quiet. Said boy stood hunched over the table- head down so that his bangs conveniently covered his face. Armin cautiously reached out, laying his small hand on top of Eren’s fist. “Eren,” he tried, “you can talk to us.”  

            “What do you want me to say?” Eren questioned- voice barely above a whisper. He kept his head down as he continued. “Hi, my name is Eren, and I was homeless?” He bit down on his bottom lip, fighting the tears that were building up in his eyes. “Is that what you want to hear?”

            Armin drew his hand away from Eren’s fist. He stood, leaning across the table until his face was merely inches away from the brunet’s. “Eren.” He said firmly. “Look at me.”

            “Please, Eren…” Marco added softly.

            Eren slowly lifted his head, locking eyes with the blue ones before him. There was something about Armin’s tone that made it to where he never wanted to anger the boy.

            “Better,” Armin stated, returning to his chair. “Fix your chair, and sit down.”

            Eren obeyed, picking up his chair then flopping down onto it.

            “If you think,” Armin began once he was sure that he had Eren’s full attention, “that we are going to judge you because of your past, then you are wrong. Do you really think so little of us?”

            “No!” Eren shouted, ignoring the few tears that slid down his cheeks.

            “Then, you can tell us,” Armin stated- never taking his eyes off of Eren’s.

            Eren rubbed his clammy palms along his pant legs. He then nodded before looking between the two boys. “How did you know I was homeless?”

            “I’ve seen you before,” Marco started. “I remembered it when I saw you in class today.” He waited for a few moments in case Eren wanted to say something before continuing. “I saw you as I was leaving the mall a few months ago; you were walking down this alleyway, and you looked so sick, and I really wanted to help, and I’m so sorry, and-”

            “Marco…” Eren called out quietly. “It’s fine. I get it.”

            Marco nodded before continuing. “Anyway, after class, I mentioned to Jean that I thought you were homeless, but I never expected him to go and say what he said to you…” He stopped, meeting Eren’s eyes. “I’m really sorry.”

            “Wait, so,” Eren began, “That stuff Jean said to me at my locker was his way of finding out if I was homeless? Like, he wanted to see if I would get defensive about it, so he could use that as his confirmation?”

            “Yea,” Marco muttered.

            “What a douche,” Eren whispered under his breath before looking back up at the two boys. “Well, I guess he knows…”

            “We went and talked to him before we came here,” Armin said.

            “Is he okay?!” Eren questioned loudly. Sure, he thought that Jean was an asshole, but he still needed to know that the idiot was okay.

            “He’s fine,” Armin said. “It only looked bad. The worst he has is a broken nose.”

            “Shit! I broke his nose!” Eren folded his arms atop the table then dropped his head down onto his arms. “First day of school and I broke someone’s nose,” he mumbled into his arms. “I bet he wants to kill me…” He added as he thought about it.

            “Well, he did, but Marco and I calmed him down,” Armin assured, smiling as the brunet lifted his head to meet his eyes. “He’s still mad though; he doesn’t really understand what happened, and neither do we.” He said, gesturing to himself and Marco.

            “Is this the part where I’m supposed to talk about my past?” Eren questioned reluctantly. He wasn’t ready for this. How could he tell these two all about his past when he can’t even muster up the courage to tell Levi?

            “Well, we aren’t going to force you to, but at some point, it would be nice to know. You can trust us, you know.” Armin eyed the brunet. “We are your friends.”

            Trust, Eren thought, and friends- two words that were being thrown out a lot recently and he didn’t understand. Well, he did- apparently people were nice and not how he thought them to be. But, it still caught him off guard. How can people just be so open and friendly? Maybe, he thought, he just wasn’t used to people acting this way towards him.

            “Eren?”

            Eren’s head snapped up at the sound of Armin’s voice. “Sorry, what?”

            “You’ve had a long day, so we won’t keep you,” Armin started. “But, whenever you want to talk, we’ll be ready to listen, even Jean will be.” He said as he and Marco stood up.

            “Oh, okay,” Eren muttered as he followed the two to the door. “Uh, thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it.” He pulled the door open for the two.

            “Hey,” Armin started, “what are friends for?” He smiled at Eren before stepping out of the apartment.

            “Don’t worry too much about Jean,” Marco said while he exited the apartment. “We will handle it when you both come back to school.” Marco then waved at the brunet before turning and following Armin to the elevator.

            “Bye!” Eren called out before closing the door. He trudged back into the kitchen and began washing the soup bowls.

            He knew he should feel happy that Armin and Marco weren’t mad at him, but he just couldn’t bring himself too. He kept wondering- what the hell did he do to deserve all of this? He acted like a brat, yet Levi let him stay in his fucking amazing apartment. He punched Jean, yet Armin and Marco weren’t mad at him.

            It just didn’t add up. People should be mad at him, and yet, they aren’t. They act all caring towards him, but he really doesn’t feel like he deserves it.

            He placed the last dish into the strainer, and then let out a loud sigh. It had been a really long day, and he just wanted to forget about everything for a while. His eyes lazily shifted around the kitchen- his gaze finally falling onto a glass bottle tucked away into a corner on the kitchen counter.

* * *

            Levi opened his bathroom door and was surprised to be greeted with a mostly silent apartment. The only sound heard was what he thought was laughing coming from the kitchen, and he quickly rubbed his hair with his towel before draping it over his shoulders. He padded down the hallway and into the kitchen, halting as he took in the scene before him.

            Eren was sitting on the kitchen floor- back against the oven door. His face was flushed and there was an empty glass bottle lying on the floor beside him.

            “You fucking idiot.”

            Eren’s head snapped up and he shot Levi a lopsided grin. “Levi!” He tried to push himself off of the ground, but his hands kept slipping, but he didn’t care because Levi was there with him- and said man was very shirtless, and damn, Eren thought, he was buff. “You’re buff!” He blurted out, grinning at the older man, who was now crouched down beside him, examining the bottle.

            “You _fucking idiot_ ,” he said again- tone harsh and piercing. He picked up the glass bottle, reading the label ‘Vodka’. “Did you just straight up drink all of this?” He asked in disbelief as he set the bottle back down.

            “I… I can’t remember! Oh my god, Levi! I can’t remember!” Eren slapped his hands down onto Levi’s shoulders, knocking the towel away. “I can’t remember,” he repeated, pressing his head against Levi’s chest and giggling uncontrollably.

            “Dammit, Eren,” Levi hissed into the brunet’s ear while pulling said boy to his feet. “What fucking made you think it would be a good idea to drink a whole bottle of Vodka?”

            “Wh-what did I do?!” Eren shouted, causing Levi to groan loudly. He leaned heavily against Levi’s smaller body, not trusting his feet, but that was okay because Levi was there.

            Levi wrapped his arm around Eren’s waist, supporting the boy. He gently guided him over to one of the chairs and eased him down onto it. He then began the process of checking Eren for any possible injuries- the idiot was on the floor when he came in, and he knew Eren wouldn’t be able to answer if he were to ask how exactly how he wound up on the floor.

            “Hey, Levi?”

            Levi finished examining the back of Eren’s head. He sidestepped until he was standing in front of the boy. “What?”

            “You!” Eren started, jabbing his finger into Levi’s chest. “You are buff!”

            Levi sighed, shaking his head at the boy. “You already told me that.”

            “Hey,” Eren stopped, giggling into his arm, “hey, Levi?”

            “What, Eren?”

            Eren rolled his head to the side, peering up through his bangs at the older man. “You are supposed to be short… I… Why do I have to look up to talk to you?!”

            Levi gently pushed Eren back against the chair before the brat fell out of it. He stepped back, observing the situation while pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. He was pissed- no, he was furious. He didn’t think he would actually have to childproof his apartment because Eren claimed that he was an adult, but apparently he was wrong. But, there was no point venting his anger to someone who was too drunk to understand any of it.

            “Levi?”

            “Hmm?” Levi turned away, moving to retrieve the Vodka bottle. He heard Eren stand and barely had time to turn around and catch the brunet stumbling towards him. “ _Eren_ ,” he grunted, catching the boy by his shoulders.

            Levi studied the suddenly silent brunet- dark eyes colored with concern. He sighed in relief when Eren finally looked at him- thankful that the boy was still responsive. He met Eren’s eyes, noting how the brunet’s face was moving closer to his. “Eren, what-”

            Levi’s eyes widened as he felt Eren press his lips firmly onto his own. “Eren,” he tried, mumbling against said boy’s lips, but the brunet wouldn’t budge.

            Levi unconsciously leaned into the kiss once he noticed that Eren had relaxed. He felt one hand trail down Eren’s back while the other slid to the boy’s chest. He could feel his face heating up while his body seemed to move on its own, returning the kiss with force. But, his mind was racing, telling him to stop because this was wrong, and Eren’s just a kid…

            Just a kid, Levi reminded himself once more.

            The older of the two moved both hands to Eren’s chest, pushing the brunet until he was an arm’s length away. “You need to go to bed, brat.” He muttered, turning Eren and guiding him to the guest bedroom.

            “I’m not tired, Levi!” Eren pouted as he was lead over to the bed.

            “Yes, you are,” Levi muttered as he pulled the covers back and gently nudged Eren down onto the bed before turning the bedside lamp on.

            Eren pulled the covers up to his chin, but he kept his eyes locked on Levi, watching the older man’s every move. “Are you gonna leave me?”

            Levi looked down at the boy- surprised at how normal that sentence sounded compared to others. “No, you are stuck with me for the night. I have to make sure you don’t die from alcohol poisoning or something.”

            “I’m gonna die!?” Eren bolted up into a sitting position.

            Levi sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “No, Eren. You aren’t going to die.” He watched Eren’s panicked face relax and took that as an opportunity to carefully push the boy back against the pillows. “Now go to sleep. I’ll be here.”

            “Hey, Levi?”

            “Eren, if you tell me that I’m buff or short, I am going to make it my life goal to kick your ass as soon as you are sober enough to know what the hell is going on.” Levi griped, eyeing the brunet.

            “I love you, Levi.”

            Levi’s narrow eyes widened as he stared at glossy, turquoise eyes peering up at him. “Okay, kid,” he muttered, leaning over to turn off the bedside lamp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry this is late! Forgive me!! I was going to upload last week, but I didn’t like what I typed. 
> 
> So, I don’t really know how to type someone being drunk, but I tried. Hope it’s okay! 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any errors, and I hope everyone enjoys!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi's feelings are all over the place, and Eren wants to fix things, so he decides to go see Erwin and ends up eavesdropping on a conversation between Erwin and Levi.

_“I love you.”_

Levi sighed, drawing his knee up to his chest. His dark eyes briefly flicked over to the clock, noting how he had been planted in a chair at Eren’s bedside for over four hours now. He settled his gaze back onto the brunet while wrapping his arms around his leg, dropping his chin atop his bent knee.

            _“I love you.”_

He could still clearly hear those three words; he could still clearly picture every tiny detail- from the way Eren’s glossy eyes watched his every move to the way the brunet slurred those three stupid words together, making it sound more like a jumbled mess. Although, Levi thought, it sounded fitting considering it was a merely a drunken confession- a drunken confession that quickly had his heart hammering against his chest, sounding loudly in his ears. It was a drunken confession that had his eyes widen to the point where he thought they might go flying out of the sockets.

             Most surprising though, it was a drunken confession that had him responding with ‘I love you too’ in his mind while his mouth chose to say something different.

            A quiet groan slipped past Levi’s lips- lips that still tingled from the kiss. Lips that still bore the faint taste of Vodka. Lips that betrayed him, craving the brunet’s warm lips more than Levi would ever want to admit.

            Levi shook his head, running the back of his hand across his mouth. Eren was just a kid- a kid who somehow managed to get a good grasp of his cold heart, and damn if that kid wouldn’t let go.

            And, Levi thought, the worst part is, Eren doesn’t even know what he’s doing to him. How could the brat know? How could he know that his mere presence was enough to get Levi’s pulse racing?

            “Dammit,” Levi cursed quietly, digging his nails into his leg. He didn’t sign up for this. He didn’t sign up to have some brat come waltzing into his life, stealing his heart in the process. Why, he asked himself, couldn’t he find a normal, older man to fall in love with? Why, he continued, did he have to fall head over heels in love with some kid he’s only known for a few months? How did Eren go from a tolerable eye candy to someone Levi thought he might want to spend the rest of his life with?

            A soft cough followed by a rather loud moan had Levi’s head snapping up. He pushed himself up to his feet, padding over to Eren just as said boy was struggling to push himself into a sitting position. “Easy,” Levi muttered, wrapping one arm around the boy’s shoulders to help him sit up.

            “Feel like shit,” Eren mumbled, unconsciously pressing his arm against his stomach.

            Levi rolled his eyes. “Of course you do,” he grumbled, steadying his gaze on Eren’s face, noting how the boy’s face paled significantly. “Eren?” He questioned carefully.

            “Gonna be sick,” Eren slurred before cupping his hand over his mouth.

            Levi acted fast. He slid his arm down to Eren’s waist, hoisting the boy to his feet. He practically dragged Eren into the guest bathroom, loosening his grip around the brunet’s waist once they reached the toilet. He had planned to ease Eren onto the floor, but the boy had other plans.     Levi cursed softly as Eren fell from his grip. He watched with a hint of sympathy as the boy crashed onto his knees before pushing himself up and over the toilet seat. He knelt down beside Eren, rubbing gentle circles on his damp-clothed back while the brunet emptied the contents of his stomach.

            Moments later, Eren flushed the toilet and then leaned back slightly, pressing his forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat. “I’m dying,” he groaned as he tried to even out his breathing.

            “Not exactly,” Levi said, standing up to turn on the bathroom light. As soon as he flicked the switch, Eren let out a string of barely coherent curses.

            “Do we need the light?” He questioned harshly as he buried his face into the crook of his arm, attempting to block out the light that managed to intensify the pounding in his head.

            “I need it,” Levi answered flatly. He grabbed a glass off of the sink, filling it half way with water. He then pulled on the edge of his mirror, revealing a cabinet filled with toothpaste, dental floss, and thankfully, a bottle of Aspirin. He popped the cap off, pouring two pills into his hand before returning to Eren’s side.

            “Look at me,” he ordered the brunet, tugging on said boy’s arm.

            Eren reluctantly lifted his head up, squinting at the light as he willed his eyes to focus on Levi.

            Levi held the pills up, motioning for Eren to open his balled fist. Eren obeyed, opening his hand and barely catching the two pills Levi dropped into his palm. He quickly curled his fingers around the pills upon realizing that his hand was trembling.

            Levi let out a loud sigh while he watched Eren shakily drop the pills into his mouth. He moved the glass up to the boy’s lips, carefully tilting it up and watching as the water sloshed around before passing through Eren’s lips.

            “Thanks,” Eren muttered as Levi moved the glass away. He ran the back of his hand against his moist lips, watching as Levi exited the bathroom, retuning moments later with a new shirt.

            “Put this on,” Levi ordered, tossing the shirt to the brunet. “Then I’ll help you back to bed.”

            “Am I sick?” Eren asked as he peeled the sweat-soaked shirt off, shivering as the cool air hit his bare skin.

            “Hung-over,” Levi answered- obvious irritation in his tone.

            Eren’s eyes widened; he ignored his protesting head as he slowly got to his feet, pulling the clean shirt over his head once the room stopped spinning. “I… What?” He asked- voice barely above a whisper.

            “What’s the last thing you remember?” Levi asked as he eyed Eren carefully, preparing to catch the brat should he topple over.

            “Umm,” Eren shuffled over to the sink, leaning against it. He bit down on his lower lip as he tried to recall what happened, groaning when he could only remember speaking with Armin and Marco. Everything after that was a blur of events; he could only faintly recall Levi sitting him in a chair and then Levi taking him to bed. “I remember talking with Armin and Marco,” he began upon noticing Levi watching him, waiting for an answer. “After that it’s all fuzzy. Like, I remember you helping me into a chair, and then I remember you helping me to bed.”

            Levi cast his eyes to the floor, breathing out a soft sigh. He figured Eren wouldn’t remember, and he should be happy, but he couldn’t help this annoying pang in his chest. He guessed a part of him wanted Eren to know; he wanted Eren to say that he meant to kiss him and he meant it when he said he loved him.

            “Levi?”

            Levi glanced up to see the brunet shooting him a confused look. “What?” He asked, sounding way too harsh, and he regretted it when he watched Eren flinch back slightly.

            “Did…” Eren paused, peering down at his trembling hands, “Did I do something I shouldn’t have?” He looked up, and his heart fell when he saw that Levi had taken to looking at a bathroom tile instead of him. “I mean aside from getting drunk!” He started, waving his hands about.

            Levi kept his eyes locked to the floor; he was afraid that if he looked up, his facial expression would give him away.

            “Oh, god,” Eren whispered, wringing his hands. “Did I make a huge mess somewhere in your apartment..?” He couldn’t hide the panic in his voice; he knew if there was one way to really piss Levi off, it would be to make a mess in his frighteningly clean apartment.

            Levi let out a small, bitter laugh. “No.” He spit out before turning on his heel, starting towards the bedroom. “Go back to bed,” he ordered, moving back to his chair.

            “You’re mad…” Eren mumbled as he climbed back onto the bed on wobbly legs. He studied Levi, noting how the male has refused to look at him for quite some time now. “If it’s about the alcohol… I can repl-”

            “It’s not about the alcohol, Eren,” Levi griped, cutting the brunet off. He raked his fingers through his dark locks, breathing out a loud sigh while drawing both legs up to his chest.

            Eren watched the older male’s every movement with worry-filled eyes. “Then, what is it?” He questioned quietly, noticing how tired Levi looked.

            “Nothing,” Levi started, draping his arms across his bent knees. “Just go back to bed. You need rest.”

            Eren fell back against the pillows, tugging the covers up to his chin. “Whatever it is,” he began, speaking out into the silent room, “I’m sorry…” With that said, Eren rolled onto his side, yanking on the blanket so it would cover his face and hopefully mute the small sniffles that came with the tears he didn’t realize were streaming down his cheeks.

* * *

            Levi’s head jerked up at the faint sound of his cell phone ringing in the living room. He blinked a few times, rubbing at his stiff neck as he stood from the chair. He bent his knees slightly, groaning from the pain shooting up his legs as both knees popped loudly. He then allowed a small yawn to slip past his lips as he walked over to inspect Eren, brushing the backs of his fingers against the boy’s cheek, nodding at the cool feel from the boy’s skin.

            Entering the living room, Levi retrieved his now silent phone, checking to see three missed calls from Erwin. He quickly punched Erwin’s speed dial number, balancing the phone on his shoulder as he made his way to his own room to get ready for work.

            “Hey,” he said into the phone when he heard the blond pick up.

            _“Is everything okay?”_

“Yea,” Levi muttered as he slid his pajama bottoms down, stepping over them as they pooled around his ankles.

            _“Levi.”_

Levi huffed while he reached for a pair of ironed work pants hanging up in his closet. He knew Erwin knew him better than anyone, so lying to the blond would be pointless. “Okay, no. Everything is not okay.” He stepped into the pant legs, pulling them up and fastening the clasp while waiting for Erwin to respond. “Before you ask,” he started again, “Eren is fine. Well, he’s mostly fine.”

            _“Mostly?”_

Levi dropped down onto the edge of his bed with a pair of black socks in his hand. He pressed the speaker button on his phone as he set the phone onto his nightstand. “Short story for now,” he began as he bent over to put his socks on. “He got in a fight at school and he’s suspended all day today. He also got into my Vodka last night and got drunk.”

            _“What?!”_

“You heard me,” Levi griped as he slipped his feet into his shoes. “I’ll explain everything when I get into work.” He stood up, walking back over to his closet to pull out a gently pressed white dress shirt.

            _“How much did he drink?”_

Levi draped his dress shirt over the recliner’s arm rest then grabbed a white under shirt from his dresser, quickly pulling it over his head. “Enough to…” His voice trailed off, thinking back to the sloppy kiss that plagued his mind all night. A kiss that he should have hated but instead wanted more of.

            _“Enough to?”_

Erwin’s questioning voice broke Levi from his thoughts. He shook his head before snatching his shirt off of the arm rest, slipping his arms into the long-sleeved shirt and then buttoning it with quick precision. “Look, I’ll explain at work, okay?”

            _“Very well. How is Eren now?”_

“He’s fine,” Levi started as he reached for his suit jacket. “He got sick around three a.m. I guess, and he’s been asleep since then.” Levi slipped his arms into his suit jacket before reaching for his phone, turning the speaker off and pressing it back against his ear as he made his way into the living room.

            _“Will it be alright to leave him by himself all day? What if he gets sick again?”_

“Then he will have to deal with it himself,” Levi snapped, walking into the kitchen to collect every bottle of alcohol.

            _“You are angry with him.”_

Levi carried the bottles into his room, shoving them into the back corner of his closet. He combed his figures through his hair, breathing out a loud sigh. “Yea, I guess I am,” he said into the phone as he slowly made his way back into the living room, pausing briefly to allow his gaze to fall onto the closed guest bedroom door.

            “ _I suppose I will hear about it when you get to work?”_

“Yea,” Levi mumbled, reaching for his coat hanging on the coat rack by the door.

            _“Alright. I’ll see you in a bit then.”_

            “Yea, see you in a bit,” Levi said before pulling his phone away to end the call. He dropped the phone into his coat pocket then made his way back into the kitchen, locating a notepad and a pen and scribbling a quick note to Eren. He left the note on the kitchen table then went back into the living room, grabbing his car keys and his dark green scarf before exiting the apartment.

* * *

            Eren blearily looked at the clock on his nightstand, eyes widening when he saw that it was almost noon. He shot up into a sitting position, grabbing at his head as the room began to spin. After a few moments, he cautiously opened his eyes, sighing in relief when he realized the world was still. His eyes flicked over to the empty chair beside his bed, and he quickly hopped to his feet, shuffling into the living room in search of Levi.

            The brunet could easily remember how weird Levi had been acting before he fell back asleep, and he really felt that he did something terribly wrong. He wanted- no, he needed to fix everything.

            Eren walked into the kitchen- eyes instantly falling onto the small note lying on the middle of the table. He snatched the note up, eyes darting across the small piece of paper.

* * *

_Eren,_

_I’ve gone to work. Stay in bed and rest. I’ll see you when I get home._

_Levi_

* * *

            Eren gnawed at his bottom lip, wondering if he should just stay put. It’s what Levi would want him to do. But, he fucked up and he wanted to fix things… now. He bolted into his room, shoving his feet into his converses and then quickly tying the laces. He ran back out into the living room, snatching his coat off of the coat rack before racing out of the apartment.

            If there was anyone he could go to for help, it was Erwin. And, he kept this in mind as he raced out of the apartment complex, taking a sharp left and heading towards the Colossal Mall.

* * *

            Fifteen long minutes later, Eren stumbled into the mall, gasping for breath. He bent over, pressing his hands against his knees as he tried to regain his breath; he did his best to ignore the pain building in his chest from inhaling the harsh, winter air.

            “Hey, Eren!”

            Eren glanced to the side, still panting as he watched Hanji walking up to him. “Hey,” he breathed out once the brunette reached his side.

            “Did you run here?” Hanji asked- both brows raised.

            “Er, yea.” He said, turning to face the woman. “Do you know where Erwin is?”

            “Levi told me you got suspended,” Hanji said, jabbing her finger into Eren’s chest. “First day of school and you got yourself kicked out before lunch.”

            Eren huffed, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. “It’s kind of a long story. Now, can you please tell me where Erwin is?”

            “He also told me you had some fun with his bottle of Vodka, a very expensive bottle I might add,” Hanji stated, further pressing her index finger into Eren’s chest. “Quite the troublemaker, huh?”

            Eren cursed mentally; he would have to add that bottle of Vodka to the list of things he owed Levi. “Yea,” he started- voice low. “I fucked up, now can you tell me where Erwin is so I can fix it?”

            Hanji’s hand fell back to her side, and she peered over her glasses at the red-faced boy. “You certainly are very interesting, Eren,” she said through a laugh. “Erwin should be in his office. It’s three rooms down from Levi’s; his name is on the door.”

            Eren shot the brunette a thankful look before turning on his heel, starting towards the back of the mall. He weaved in and out of the clusters of customers, occasionally shouting out an apology if he bumped into another person.

            And, after what felt like an eternity, he could see the ‘Employees Only’ door come into view.

            He burst through the door, silently thanking whoever decided to leave it unlocked. Jogging down the hallway, Eren kept his eyes peeled for a door with Erwin’s name on it, but he quickly skid to a stop, ducking behind a trashcan when he spotted Levi walking into a room. Eren waited until he heard the door close before he carefully made his way over to the room, reading Erwin’s name on the front of the door.

            “Shit,” he cursed quietly, pressing his ear against the door.

            _“I’ve been very anxious to hear about what happened.”_

Erwin, Eren told himself. He continued listening, brows furrowing at the odd silence that followed.

            _“Levi?”_

Eren bit down on his bottom lip. Why wasn’t Levi answering? Was something really wrong?

            _“Eren kissed me.”_

Eren’s eyes widened at the familiar sound of Levi’s voice. He clasped one hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping out loud.

            _“And, he told me that he loved me.”_

Eren pressed both hands firmly against his mouth as he staggered away from the door. He stumbled over his feet, turning until his back was pressed against the wall opposite of Erwin’s office door. He stared blankly at the door, trying to process what was said.

            He kissed Levi.

            He told Levi that he loved him.

            Eren knew the he really fucked up this time, and he had no idea how to fix it, so he did the only thing that came to mind.

            He ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 14! Hope everything is okay! 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos and bookmarks and such! You guys make me really freaking happy! 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed
> 
> And, I hope everyone enjoys!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is super dramatic, and Jean is just really annoyed and confused at what the hell is going on.

            He couldn’t breathe; his lungs were begging for him to stop, but he pressed forward. His eyes were welled up with tears, making it difficult to see, yet he continued to barrel through the crowds of shoppers. He couldn’t think clearly; his mind was on some instant replay, repeating Levi’s words to Erwin over and over, and he desperately wanted to scream. Panic mixed with frustration was building up in his chest, and he just wanted to scream to make it go away.

            He stumbled almost blindly through the herds of shoppers, bumping into person after person yet ignoring the angered comments directed at him. He didn’t care anymore; he just needed to get out of the mall. He needed to get away from everyone before he fucked something else up because apparently that was what he specialized in. And, he was tired of upsetting the people in his life.

            Everyone was so good to him, especially Levi. And, this was what he gave in return? Instead of being a well-behaved teenager, he was fighting and drinking and-

            “Ow!”

            “What the fuck?!”

            Eren hit the ground with a loud thud, wincing as a sharp pain shot up his back. He snapped his head up- eyes widening as they locked with the eyes of the person he crashed into. “Uh,” he started while rubbing gently at his throbbing back. “Hi, Jean.”

            “Hi?” Jean crossed his arms, raising both brows as he stared down at the brunet. “You come fucking crashing into me and all you have to say is hi?”

            Eren broke eye contact, dropping his head in hopes that his hair would hide his tears. His fingers curled into his palms- nails piercing his skin. He could feel the anger building inside of him, and he wanted nothing more than to punch that stupid look off of Jean’s face, but what good would that do?

            Eren carefully got to his feet, keeping his head down- eyes locked onto his shoes. He studied his laces on the shoes Levi bought for him, taking them as yet another, small reminder of how good Levi had been to him… Levi…

            He needed to get away from Levi; that was the best option. If he left, Levi could go back to living his life normally, and he would no longer have to put up with some annoying brat causing problems.

            “Uh… Eren?”

            Eren slowly lifted his head, swiping the tears away with the back of his hand.

            Jean took a step back, taking in Eren’s distraught features with darting eyes. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck while clearing his throat. “Why… Uh… What’s wrong with you?” He questioned.

            “Jean,” Eren began- voice low. “I’m sorry for everything.”

            “Eren, what the hell is the matter with you?” Jean questioned- tone harsh yet tinged with concern.

            Eren shook his head before sidestepping around Jean, smacking away Jean’s hand as he broke out into a full-blown sprint towards the mall’s exit. He ignored the other boy’s calls as he ran out of the building.

* * *

            Levi flopped down onto Erwin’s couch, dropping his face into his cupped hands. Just saying what happened out loud hurt because he really wanted what happened to be real- he wanted Eren to love him and to mean it.

            “I don’t understand why you are mad, Levi,” Erwin started, moving to sit on the edge of his desk. He clasped his hands in front of him while studying his friend, taking careful note on how distressed the other man sounded. “He was drunk; he couldn’t have possibly known what he was doing,” he added when Levi had yet to look up or acknowledge that he had spoken.

            “That’s the problem,” Levi mumbled into his palms.

            “What?” Erwin questioned, raising both brows and tilting his head slightly.

            Levi stood suddenly, moving over to the closest wall and gently pressing his fist against it. So, maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he told himself he was being a little too dramatic, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He had a right to be dramatic for once; he was in love with some teenage brat who just waltzed into his life. He was annoyed; why couldn’t he love some normal, run-of-the-mill man? Why did he have to fall head over heels in love with some kid?

            “Levi?” Erwin asked cautiously, stepping away from the desk to stand a bit closer to his friend. To say he was shocked would be quite the understatement; he had never seen Levi act so out of character before. He wasn’t trying to put a specific label on his friend- no, he was just worried about the sudden actions.

            “I...” Levi dropped his head- eyes darting across the floor, yet he felt as if he wasn’t looking at anything. All he could see was Eren; all he could think about was Eren, and it made his chest feel tight. He felt like his throat was closing while his stomach was flipping and flopping and he couldn’t decide if he needed to be sick or not. His head felt fuzzy, and his skin was hot to the touch. If this, he thought to himself, was what love felt like, than it sucked.

            He scrunched his eyebrows together while shaking his head. Who, he thought, would want to experience this? He felt like he was dying all because he was in love with Eren.

            After a long sigh, he turned around to face his friend, locking eyes with the worry-filled blue ones watching his every move. “I love him,” he said as a sad, almost unbelieving smile played across his lips.

            Erwin’s eyes widened as he took a step back. Did he hear that clearly? Did he really just hear his best friend say he loved Eren? Surely not. He knew that they were getting along well, but love? Really? His mind was racing, and he couldn’t seem to collect his thoughts. There was just too much that came from those three, little words.

            The blond breathed out a shaky sigh, combing his fingers through his hair. “I… What?” He stammered, mentally cursing his lack of composure when it was needed most.

            Levi stepped back until his back was pressed against the wall. He ran both hands through his hair before sliding them down to rub across his face. “I hated him at first,” he began, catching the blond’s attention. “You know that, though. But, I can’t deny that the kid is extremely good-looking,” he shrugged as Erwin gave him a surprised look. “And so, I thought he was just gonna be like some kind of annoying eye-candy or whatever, but then…” His words trailed off as he pondered when exactly it was that he decided he truly liked Eren. “I don’t know,” he began again. “I just suddenly started feeling more, like… It wasn’t just attraction. My heart started to race when I looked into those stupid, gorgeous eyes of his, and I just…” He dropped his gaze to the floor once more; his eyes were beginning to sting with the rare feeling of pending tears.

            Erwin’s eyes softened; he could see how hard this was for Levi to say, and it hurt him to see his best friend hurt. “Go on,” he encouraged quietly.

            “When he got drunk,” Levi started again, “I was mad at first. Well, I was more worried than angry. And then he kissed me, and I… I kissed him back. I knew it was wrong,” he added, his voice rising slightly, “but I couldn’t help myself. It felt so…so right…” He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, and any other day he would claim it was allergies or some other bullshit excuse, but not today.  “And,” he began again, “when he told me he loved me, I was so shocked. And, I didn’t realize until later just how much I wanted him to mean it.” His voice grew softer with each word. “I want him to love me,” he whispered while quickly shielding his eyes with his hand. “I want him to mean it,” he muttered- his voice breaking ever-so slightly.

            “I-” Erwin started, but stopped abruptly as his office door flew open.

            “Hey!” Hanji shouted as she strolled into the room, stopping to shoot the two men a skeptical look before turning in a full circle, glancing around the room. “Where’s Eren?” She asked, walking towards the two men.

            Levi’s head snapped up as soon as the words left the brunette’s mouth. “What?” He questioned quickly, ignoring the fact that he knew he obviously looked like he’d been crying.

            Hanji gasped, craning her neck and tilting her head as she studied Levi. “Have you been crying?!” She squealed while reaching her index finger out to poke at Levi’s cheek but quickly had her hand slapped away by Levi.

            “Hanji!” Levi snapped. “What do you mean where’s Eren? He’s at home.”

            Hanji hummed in response before shaking her head. “He was here. I just talked to him. He really wanted to come see you,” she pointed at Erwin. “He said he fucked up, and he wanted to come see you to fix things,” she said directly to Erwin.

            Erwin met eyes with Levi- both men sharing a confused expression. “We never saw him,” Erwin told Hanji. “How long ago did you see him?”

            The brunette tapped her chin, mumbling to herself for a moment. “I suppose it was ten minutes ago.”

            “Why didn’t he come in?” Erwin wondered out loud. “Do you suppose he heard our conversation?”

            Levi squeezed his eyes shut. Why didn’t Eren come in? Did he hear everything or only some things? And, where the hell was he now? “Damn,” he mumbled before walking towards the door. “I’m going to have a quick look around the mall,” he said as he exited the room.

            “I should help,” Erwin muttered as he headed towards the door. He couldn’t ignore the worry building in his chest- not only for Eren but for Levi as well.

            “Why was Levi crying?” Hanji asked- her voice frighteningly serious.

            “It’s quite complicated,” Erwin admitted. “I’m sure once things settle, he will tell you,” he added before stepping out of the room.

* * *

             Eren wasn’t sure how long he had been running, but he was pretty sure he was going to keel over and die if he didn’t stop soon. He slowed down to a jog, taking in his surroundings. His eyes flicked to the left as a familiar playground came into view. He came to a full stop at the playground entrance, panting as he looked inside- grateful that there were no kids.

            For some reason, he decided to go inside, stumbling through the rusty gates and shuffling towards a clear spot of grass by the swing-set. He collapsed onto the ground, rolling over until he was on his back- both arms stretched out at his sides. His chest was heaving, and it felt almost impossible to regain his breath, but after a few minutes, his breathing became steady. He closed his eyes, ignoring the cold wind piercing his sweat-covered skin.

            He felt numb. His mind was mostly blank; the only thought he had was that he had to leave, and leaving meant not seeing Levi anymore.

            “Ow,” he muttered, pressing his right hand against his chest. He felt a pang in his heart, and he was hoping it would go away- he was hoping it was from all of the cold air he had inhaled, but it happened again, and then again until it was a constant pain that brought tears to his eyes. He draped his other arm across his eyes as the tears began to fall freely. Flashes of his times with Levi started popping up in his mind, and he let out a soft sob at the thought of leaving the man.

            The man that has done everything for him… The man that he upset… The man that he didn’t want to leave…ever.

            “Dammit,” he cursed quietly, curling his hand into a fist atop his chest. Had he just not acted out, none of this would have happened. He would still be on good terms with Levi, and… he would still get to live with a man he cared deeply for.

            He bit down on his lip as he felt another sharp pang in his chest. Why did he feel like this? This, he thought, can’t be love, could it? He was too young. How the hell was he supposed to know what love was? He couldn’t ask Levi; the older man would probably tell him he’s being a sappy idiot.

            It didn’t matter anymore anyway. He had to leave. It was settled; he was going to leave as soon as he could will his body to accept it and get up. He let out another, much louder sob as he felt the pang in his chest once more.

            “I don’t want to leave,” he whispered.

* * *

            “Where the hell is he?” Levi asked- more to himself than to Erwin . The two had been searching the mall for only five minutes, yet it felt as if they had been searching for hours with no sign of Eren anywhere.

            “Uh, excuse me?”

            Levi and Erwin quickly turned around, and Levi’s lips curled down at the sight of the boy who got their attention. “And just what the hell do you want?” He asked the boy, knowing full and well this was the boy Eren fought yesterday.

            Jean’s brows furrowed as he crossed his arms, sporting an angered look on his face. “Well excuse me,” he began- a great amount of sass in his voice. “Sorry for being a tiny bit concerned about Eren.”

            Levi’s eyes narrowed and he was about to take a step forward, only to stop when a large hand clamped down on his shoulder.

            “Now, might I ask why you are concerned about Eren?” Erwin asked politely while squeezing the smaller man’s shoulder.

            Jean tilted his head, shooting the two a ‘what the hell’ kind of look. “You mean you guys don’t know that he ran out of here crying his eyes out like twenty minutes ago?”

            “What?!” Levi stepped forward, breaking free of Erwin’s tight grip on his shoulder. He grabbed Jean by the collar of his shirt, ignoring Erwin’s protests. “Did you do something to him?” He growled.

            Jean narrowed his eyes; he didn’t care who this asshole was. He wasn’t going to take this kind of shit from anyone. He let a devious smile play across his lips. “Maybe it was you who did something to him,” he noted quietly.

            Levi’s eyes widened; he let go of Jean’s collar then spun on his heel, walking quickly back to Erwin. “I have to find him,” he said to the blond before breaking out into a full-blown sprint towards the mall’s exit.

            “Take your car!” Erwin shouted, hoping Levi would hear him, but Levi was long gone by the time the words had left his mouth. The blond sighed, turning his attention back to Jean. “I’m terribly sorry about all of this.”

            “What the hell is going on with those two?” Jean questioned harshly.

            Erwin shook his head. “It’s quite complicated… It isn’t my place to say.”

            Jean let out disbelieving laugh. “You people are all weird,” he muttered under his breath while smoothing down his crumpled shirt collar. Once done, he briefly locked eyes with the blond before stepping around him. “I’m going home,” he said as he started towards the exit.

            Erwin started back to his office tiredly. He decided it would be best to leave this up to Levi for now. He had faith that Levi would find Eren; he found him the first time they were looking for him.

            And, the blond trusted his friend. If anyone could find Eren, it was Levi.

* * *

            Levi kept his mind focused, ignoring his protesting legs as he ran. He kept his eyes peeled as he passed by alleyways and benches. He was technically on his way to his apartment, but he wanted to be sure Eren wasn’t somewhere else before he checked there.

            He turned around a corner, coming to a halt when a park entrance came into view. He remembered this park; this was the park Eren went to last time he ran away. He wasn’t sure if Eren was one to go to the same place twice, but he figured it couldn’t hurt, so he raced up to the entrance, letting out a soft, relieved sigh when he spotted the brunet lying in the grass.

            He quietly walked over to the brunet, leaning over him and shaking his head as he noticed that the brunet appeared to be sleeping. “Eren,” he called out.

            Eren’s eyes shot open. “Levi!” He bolted into a sitting position, forcing Levi to move back, and then he turned onto his side, preparing to leave, only to be stopped by Levi, who had, in just two seconds, slammed the brunet back against the ground, pinning his arms above his head.

            “No. More. Running.” Levi hissed, eyes taking in Eren’s red, puffy turquoise ones.

            “But, I have to leave!” Eren shouted, trying and failing to wiggle free from Levi’s grip. He had forgotten just had strong the older man was.

            “Why?” Levi questioned- a hint of panic in his voice.

            “Because I’m the world’s biggest fuck up!” Eren said through the sobs ripping through his chest.

            “Eren-”

            “No, Levi! I am!” Eren started, cutting the older of the two off. “I’ve done nothing but cause problems for you, and now you are mad at me because I’m a fucking idiot and I kissed you last night! And, to top it all off, I fucking went and told you I loved you!” A loud, gasping sob slipped past his lips, and he curled his fingers down, digging his nails into his palms. “Dammit!”

            “Eren!” Levi yelled in time with a loud crack of thunder. He tightened his hold on Eren’s wrists. “What makes you think I’m mad?” He asked- voice a tad softer.

            Eren briefly fell silent, locking eyes with Levi’s dark ones. “You are, aren’t you?” He asked quietly. “I heard you and Erwin talking… You were mad! And, you were mad last night, too!”

            “You should have kept listening,” Levi muttered through a sigh. He shook his head as lips curled up into a small smile.

            “I… What?” Eren asked; he was genuinely confused. Levi wasn’t acting like himself, but he wasn’t mad either, and seeing the older man’s smile was like an instant relief to the consistent pain in his chest.

            “If you had decided to keep on eavesdropping,” Levi began as he started to lean in closer to Eren, “you would have heard me say that I love you.” He finished as thunder sounded in the sky once more- this time bringing rain with it.  

            He glanced up, blinking away the rain that fell into his eyes. It was as if the sky knew what was happening, and it wanted to make the situation as cliché as possible. Any other day, he would have groaned at how stereotypical the situation had become, but not today. No, he was just going to have to deal with the cliché setting because he just could not wait any longer.

            Levi leaned down, closing most of the remaining distance between him and Eren. His lips were now hovering over Eren’s, and he knew the time was now.

            “I love you, Eren,” he whispered before he carefully pressed his lips against soft ones before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, so sorry for the super late update! I've known what I've wanted to do with the chapter for the longest time, but I just couldn't put it into words. Thank you all for being so great and patient with me! 
> 
> Ah, anyway, sorry for the shady upload time. I usually upload on Friday nights. I hope you are all able to read when you get the chance! 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks! You guys make me so damn happy /wipes tears
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and I hope you all enjoy the super dramatic chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all very cliché, and Levi is aware of this.

            It felt as if time had stopped; the only sound to be heard was the cold rain pelting against the rusted metal of the swing-set. But despite the cold, Eren’s face was on fire, and he was almost certain that there was an embarrassing blush to match the heat radiating off of his skin. His eyes were wide open, darting back and forth across Levi’s face. The older man was so close to Eren that he could actually count the tiny raindrops clinging to said man’s eyelashes, and he shivered as Levi’s bangs lightly brushed against his cheek.

            He slowly closed his eyes, relaxing his tense face once he felt Levi’s fingers loosen on his wrists. His heart was beating rapidly, but it wasn’t the painful pangs he had felt previously; no, it was more of a light flutter that he kind of liked. This, he thought to himself, is love, isn’t it? It has to be, he reassured himself. Why else would he feel like this if it wasn’t because he was in love?

            He carefully wiggled his arm free of Levi’s light grip and moved his hand to the back of Levi’s head, curling his fingers around the older man’s dark locks. He slowly parted his lips and let out a breathy laugh as Levi’s tongue brushed against his.

            His mind once again felt blank, but it wasn’t the kind of blank that came with the numbness he was feeling earlier. No, this was different; he had nothing else to think about because everything he ever wanted was right before him.

            And that was all that mattered.

            Levi started to pull away, but Eren wasn’t ready just yet; he wasn’t ready to let go of what he believed to be the happiest moment of his life. So he pushed himself upward, keeping his lips pressed against Levi’s, but a hand against his chest had him falling back onto the grass, panting lightly.

            “Calm down,” Levi muttered as he propped himself up with one hand.

            “Fuck,” Eren whispered in between breaths. It was the only coherent thing he could think of to say at the moment even though it probably wasn’t even that coherent.  

            “Not just yet Eren,” Levi muttered while curling the fingers of his free hand into a fist. He moved his fist up to his mouth and chuckled into it as he studied Eren’s confused facial expression.

            “Huh…? Wait! That’s not what I meant!” Eren could feel the burning sensation crawling back up to his face, making it all the way to the tips of his ears this time. He watched with defeated eyes as Levi’s laugh only grew at the look of his panicked state.

            “I know, you idiot,” Levi said as he pushed himself up to his feet. “You are too innocent to think of such vulgar thoughts,” he added as he offered his hand to Eren.

            “No, I’m not,” Eren mumbled under his breath as he placed his hand in Levi’s, allowing the older man to pull him to his feet. Once he was standing, Eren looked around at the deserted playground before lifting his head up towards the cloudy sky, closing his eyes as he allowed the cold rain to cool down his burning face.

            And Levi could do nothing but gape at the boy. He watched as the big raindrops slowly slid down Eren’s cheeks to his neck before hitting the collar of his jacket. He watched as the boy ran his tongue against his lips, and oh how Levi wanted nothing more than to claim those warm, soft lips once more.

            Levi knew he took a gamble with this; he wasn’t sure what was going to happen when he kissed Eren. The worst would have been if the brunet had rejected him, and he told himself that if that had happened, he would be able to go on with his life before Eren was in the picture. But he didn’t want his old life back. He honestly couldn’t imagine a life without Eren now; he needed the brat in his life, and he would do whatever he had to to make sure that the brunet doesn’t try and leave again.

            He was tough; he always had been. But he couldn’t even begin to fathom how hurt he would be if Eren left. His tough outer-shell would shatter into a million pieces and his inner-self would crumble into a pitiful, sobbing mess, and he did not want that.

            So if he had to fight to keep Eren, then he would fight like his life depended on it…because it kind of, really does depend on it. That’s the kind of impact the brat has had on him in the short amount of time they have been together.

            “Hey, Levi?”

            Levi’s eyes focused on Eren’s. How long, he briefly wondered, had the boy been watching him while he was lost in thought? “What?” He asked while trying to figure out how Eren’s eyes could possibly get any more breathtaking than they already were.

            “I know I said it before, but I was…uh, I was drunk,” Eren began, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. And Levi’s brows began to furrow as he waited for the brunet to continue; his chest was beginning to tighten and his breathing was coming out in short, small gasps. He could feel his hands start to shake, and he quickly crossed his arms over his chest in a poor attempt to hide them.

            He knew, well, he hoped he knew where this conversation was going. Please say it, he mentally shouted at Eren. He needed to hear it. He needed to hear it while Eren was as sober as could be so he would know that the brunet meant it. It’s what he wanted, and it’s hopefully about to happen.

            “Well, I’m not really sure how this whole thing works, but…” Eren smiled softly at the older man. “I love you.”

            There they were. There were the three words that he had been waiting for. He could do nothing but stare with wide, trembling eyes as his breath got caught in his throat. He could feel his dark eyes welling with tears, but he couldn’t move. His chest tightened even more because he felt he physically could not breathe in that very moment.

             Everything was silent aside from the cold rain showering down. Everything felt still; he was frozen in place, but as soon as the first tear dared to slip out and slide down his cheek, he turned away, forcing his arms to move so he could quickly rub his palms against his eyes.

            “Are you crying?” Eren asked with a concerned voice as he approached the older man.

            “No,” Levi spit out, quickly blinking away the lingering tears. “Some damn rain fell in my eyes,” he added, lightly shaking his head at his sorry attempt of an excuse.

            “Oh.” Eren stopped walking towards the man. This wasn’t exactly the reaction he was hoping for, but what did he know? He was stupid to expect Levi to run into his arms and kiss him. That wasn’t how the dark-haired man was, and Eren knew that.

            But still, crying? That was definitely not something he ever thought he would see Levi do, and yet, here he was, witnessing the older man trying, and failing, to cover up the tears.

            “Levi, I’m-”

            Levi quickly made his way to Eren, brushing his lips against the brunet’s briefly and cutting his words off. He pulled away just as quickly as he had kissed him, but he kept his forehead pressed against Eren’s. “Shut up,” he whispered, and Eren’s eyes slid closed as he welcomed Levi’s warm breath against his now cold skin.

            The two remained like that for a few moments before Eren felt Levi shivering. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man. “You’re shivering,” he said as he all but engulfed the man into his arms.

            “So are you,” Levi muttered, nuzzling his face into Eren’s neck. Even though the cold rain seeping into his skin physically hurt, he didn’t want to pull away. But he didn’t want to die either, and he most certainly did not want Eren to die from hypothermia or pneumonia or some shit- not after everything that’s happened. So he reluctantly pushed his hands against Eren’s chest until the two were standing an arm’s length apart. He already wanted to curl back into Eren’s arms, but he told himself to man up, and so he did.

            “Let’s go,” he stated, turning on his heel towards the gates leading in and out of the playground. “And no sneezing,” he called over his shoulder once he was sure Eren was following him.

            “Uh, I don’t have to..?” Eren said- voiced laced with confusion.

            “It’s too cliché,” Levi started, “this whole damn setting is cliché,” he added, waving one arm out to motion towards the playground and the rain and every other damn thing that could make this as fucking cliché as possible.

            Eren couldn’t help but laugh as he jogged to catch up with Levi. “You are the one who came and kissed me in the rain,” He pointed out as he matched Levi’s pace.

            “Well, I didn’t make it fucking rain,” Levi spit out, shaking his head at Eren’s growing laughter. “And besides,” he began again, “you are the one who went and picked this damn playground to run away to.”

            “Well, would you have rather me picked some random gas station?” Eren questioned with both brows raised. “You probably wouldn’t have even found me if I had picked some random gas station.” He paused, before adding, “Plus, it wouldn’t have been romantic.”

            Levi stopped walking- hand falling to grip Eren’s wrist. He pulled the brunet until they were facing each other. “Okay first of all, anywhere in doors and we would be happily dry right now not freezing our asses off. Secondly, you make it sound as if you picked this place purposely, and if I fucking find out that you did, I will kick your ass, understood?”

            Eren gulped before quickly nodding.

            “Good,” Levi began again, “thirdly, who gives a fuck if a gas station isn’t romantic? We would have been dry, Eren.” He sighed, shaking his head as his lips curled up into a smile.

            “And lastly,” he started again, wrapping one arm around Eren’s waist and pulling the boy towards him. He pushed up on his toes until their foreheads were gently touching. “I must have some kind of weird Eren radar,” he muttered.

            Levi’s warm breath against his lips caused Eren to shudder. “Wh-what do you mean?” He asked as he unconsciously draped his arms lazily across Levi’s shoulders.

            “It means I can always find you,” Levi whispered before claiming Eren’s lips with his own for the third time that day.

            “That’s intriguing and yet fucking creepy at the same time,” Eren mumbled into Levi’s lips, only to shoot the man an apologetic look as said man quickly pulled away.

            “You are such a fucking brat, you know that right?” Levi questioned before turning on his heel, starting towards the gates once more.

            Eren ran up to Levi’s side, sliding his hand into the older man’s hand. “Well, you call me brat enough, so I guess that means I am one.” He muttered, smiling sheepishly.

            Levi shook his head, laughing at the brunet’s logic. He gave Eren’s hand a light squeeze- his smile growing as Eren smiled down at him.

            “Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Levi said as the two exited the playground.

* * *

            “So let me get this straight,” Erwin began as he studied the two drenched, trembling boys in front of him. “You got caught in the rain, and instead of getting a taxi, you walked all the way back to the mall and not your apartment?”

            “You forgot the kissing part,” Eren added before letting out a yelp as Levi jabbed his elbow into his side. The two glared at each other before turning their attention back to Erwin.

            “I tried to get a fucking taxi, but apparently all of the taxi drivers are cowards who don’t want to drive in the rain,” Levi snapped, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes and flicking some water at Eren, who scowled at the older man as the cold water hit him in the eye.

            Levi laughed quietly before turning serious once more. “And the keys to my apartment are in my coat pocket,” he stopped, motioning towards the jacket draped across Erwin’s desk, “which is there.”

            “Why didn’t you just call me?” Erwin questioned a bit harshly.

            “Because,” Levi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “My phone is over there,” he said, pointing towards his coat, “in my coat pocket.”

            “Levi,” Erwin began- his voice dropping another octave to an impossibly serious tone. “There are a million things you could have done instead of walking all the way back to the mall in a downpour in the middle of winter.” He crossed his arms and shook his head as he looked at the two boys. “You are jeopardizing not only your health, but Eren’s as well.” He said in a scolding tone.

            “You think I don’t know that?” Levi growled, narrowing his eyes as he glared at the blond before turning towards Eren. “Take your jacket and shirt off,” he told the brunet before walking over to his coat on Erwin’s desk.

            Eren obeyed, stripping of his dripping jacket and shirt. He held the wet clothes in outstretched arms while looking at Erwin. “Don’t be mad at Levi,” he mumbled to the blond. “It’s my fault for running away in the first place.”

            “I’m not mad,” Erwin began as Levi returned to Eren. “I’m just worried that you two will get very ill,” he said through a sigh as he took Eren’s wet clothes out of his hands.

            “We’ll be fine,” Levi said softly as he motioned for Eren to hold out his arms. He slid the coat sleeves over the brunet’s arms before pulling the coat up over his shoulders. He then moved to the front of the boy and fastened the buttons to cover his bare chest. The coat was a bit tight on Eren, but it would do until they got home.

            “What about you?” Eren asked quickly- hands moving to undo the buttons on the coat even though he felt ten times better with it on.

            “Stop,” Levi slapped Eren’s hands away. He grabbed his car keys out of his coat pocket and handed them to Eren. “Go start my car and turn the heat on. I’ll be right there.”

            Eren nodded and then leaned down, hesitating momentarily before quickly pressing his lips against Levi’s. He then turned on his heel and exited Erwin’s office, and Levi waited a few moments before opening the door to check that Eren was in fact gone and not listening at the door.

            “You have to be careful with this Levi,” Erwin started as he dropped the wet clothes onto the floor in a corner.

            “I’m fucking aware of this Erwin,” Levi snapped as he turned to face the door. “But he told me he loved me, and he fucking meant it, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much that means to me.” He raked his fingers through his dripping hair, flinging some excess water onto the floor. He knew he was getting into something that could be very dangerous on his part, but he honestly didn’t give a fuck at the moment. He would worry about the consequences when they came.

            “I get it,” Erwin said, pulling Levi out of his thoughts as he placed a warm hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “I want you to know that I will help whenever I can.”

            “Thanks Erwin,” Levi said before he placed his hand on the doorknob. “I promise if all of this goes to hell, I won’t drag you down with me,” he said with a sad smile. He locked his gaze onto the floor, trying to push away the thoughts of things not working out with Eren.

            “If you don’t drag me down with you, then I will just force myself into the situation. You know this,” Erwin said through a laugh. “Now go,” he started again, gently pushing Levi’s back. “Go home and get dry and take care of Eren.”

            Levi nodded before exiting the office.

* * *

            “Everything okay?” Eren asked as Levi opened the driver side door. He didn’t even attempt to hide the concern and panic laced his voice. He didn’t want Levi and Erwin fighting because of something he had stupidly done.

            Levi let out a loud sigh as the blasting heat hit his freezing skin. “Everything is just fine,” he said while buckling his seatbelt. “Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Tuesday update. Don’t worry about it; I’ll get back on Friday updates eventually. And sorry this took so long! There were papers to be typed and finals to be failed (I’m kidding… hopefully) and then I went to Texas and now I’m back and I’m ready to work. 
> 
> Anyway, so lots of cliché in this chapter, but it is what it is. I’m such a sap for cliché stuff. Also, it’s been so long since I’ve typed any kissing, so I hope it’s okay.
> 
> Moving on, have I told you all how awesome you are? I have..? Well! I'm going to tell you all again! Really though, you guys make writing this so much fun, so thank you for taking the time to kudos, bookmark and/or comment. It means so much, and I hope I can keep delivering good chapters for you all to enjoy. 
> 
> I should probably shut up now, so sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and I hope you all enjoy!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren can't look at Levi without looking like some freak because of his dream. And Levi thinks Eren is sick or some shit because he's acting weird.

_Hot._

_Everything felt so hot; his skin was on fire._

_His shirt had since been ripped off his body, and he shivered as cold hands pressed against his bare, boiling chest- the small yet strong hands pushing until he lost his footing and fell back onto the bed._

_He swiped his brown locks away from his face- just in time to watch his pants being pulled down past his knees until they gathered at his ankles, and he gave a few light kicks until they fell to the floor._

_He propped himself up onto his elbows, tilting his head to the side as he watched Levi with curiosity. He got a glimpse of some very defined back muscles as the older man hunched over to slip his own pants off. And then his eyes widened as the man removed his own shirt, revealing a frighteningly toned stomach- a stomach that he had seen before but still, it never ceased to impress him._

_He stared in awe at the man’s abs- he was in so much of a trance that he failed to notice the abs getting closer and closer until Levi’s body was right before his face, and he gasped, falling back against the bed as the older man laughed at him._

_He pushed his lips out into a pout while narrowing his eyes, shooting Levi an annoyed look. But this only caused the older man’s laughing to grow louder and louder, and his expression soon softened because really, Levi had a nice, contagious laugh. It was like a rare gem, and he needed to cherish it._

_The room soon fell into a comfortable silence, and he reached out, carefully placing his hand atop the older man’s arm, and his breath caught in his throat as the older man looked down at him with the gentlest eyes._

_He smiled at Levi, rubbing his thumb lightly across the man’s arm in an almost inviting way, and it seemed to work because Levi shifted around. He felt the weight of the older man against his chest, and he tilted his head up in time with the man’s approaching lips._

_And they kissed._

_And it was so weird; he never thought a kiss could make him feel so safe and so secure, but this one did. It was a kiss that told him, “Eren, this is where you belong.” And he leaned upward slightly, pushing his lips against Levi’s lips with more force as if to say, “Yes, this is where I belong.”_

_It felt so right._

_Everything felt so right._

_And he soon found his hands gripping at the older man’s dark locks, tugging as his body urged for more, and the older man kissed him harder._

_He parted his lips, and Levi grunted in approval, and soon after, their tongues were dancing around one another, and he continued to pull at Levi’s locks._

_But then Levi pulled away._

_And he stared up at Levi with questioning eyes, and the older man’s eyes seemed to tell him that everything was okay, so he dropped his head back against the bed- eyelids sliding closed. It was his way of showing that he trusted Levi._

_The room fell silent aside from their soft panting, and he shuddered as the cold hands once again found his bare chest, and he inhaled sharply as the cold palms seemed to pierce his skin._

_He started to shiver as the icy hands slowly trailed down his chest, stopping to fiddle with the waist band of his boxers. And he quickly shot up on his elbows, looking at Levi with wide, trembling eyes._

_And their eyes locked onto each other, and they seemed to have a conversation strictly through their eyes, and the silent conversation had him once again laying his head against the bed, feeling safe and secure._

_And when he felt his boxers being pulled down past his knees, he smiled. This was all new to him, but he could feel his body craving for more, and he trusted Levi._

_He really, truly trusted Levi._

_He bit down on his lower lip as he felt the familiar lips being pressed against his leg, and a light giggle slipped past his lips as the older man’s lips pressed small, gentle kisses up his bare legs._

_And the kisses got higher._

_And higher._

_And higher, until…_

* * *

            Eren’s eyes shot open as his alarm blared loudly by his head. He flung his arm at the stupid clock, knocking it off the bedside table, which, to his delight, shut the damn thing off. He then draped his arm across his eyes while pressing his other hand against his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly.

            He concentrated on slowing his breathing, which in turn, slowed his heart down to an almost normal pace, and he stayed like that for a few moments- his dream playing out in his head while his body tingled as if each touch, each kiss had been real.

            After a few more moments, he finally sat up into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed until his feet hit the floor, and he propped his elbows up atop his knees and dropped his face into his cupped hands.

            “Fuck,” he whispered into his palms. That dream had felt so real; it was actually difficult to tell himself that it was in fact just a dream. He knew what they did when they got back to the apartment yesterday- they showered… separately.  And then they put on clean, dry clothes before they ate dinner while watching a movie. And then they retired to their separate rooms.

            And Eren had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit his pillow. He had been exhausted; his day had been filled with running and crying and love confessions.  

            “Love confessions,” he said aloud as he lifted his head from his hands.

            Yesterday’s events hit him like a ton of bricks and he fell back against his bed. His mind was racing- sometimes replaying the real kisses in the rain but sometimes replaying the fake kisses in the dream, and this all left the brunet feeling really confused, but also happy. And that just ended up making him feel even more confused. He let out an annoyed huff.

            He had told Levi that he loved him, and he meant it. However, he didn’t know that his feelings were strong enough to warrant dreams like the one he had just had.

             But he did know one thing; he wanted that dream to be a reality. He wanted Levi to kiss him the way he had kissed him in the dream. But it wasn’t like he could just go up to the older man and demand they strip and get into bed together. He didn’t want to push Levi. He would wait until Levi was more comfortable with all of this; he didn’t want to risk jeopardizing everything.

            Another loud sigh slipped past his lips. 

            How the hell was he supposed to face Levi when the images and feelings of the dream were still so clear in his mind?

            “Get a grip,” he told himself as he got to his feet, padding across the room towards the bathroom to get ready for school. He briefly wondered if he could fake being sick to get out of school; he didn’t want to go- not after what he did. He wasn’t really feeling up to all the looks he would be given or the bad attempts at whispers behind his back.

            He pushed open the bathroom door and flicked the light on with another loud sigh.

* * *

            Levi stared down into his coffee cup as his fingers drummed against the kitchen counter. He felt anxious, and he knew it was because of Eren. He wanted nothing more than to pull the boy into his arms and kiss him, but he told himself he couldn’t do that.

            He needed to take things slow; he needed to give Eren time to feel comfortable. He had to be cautious; he didn’t want to risk losing everything. Eren was different compared to his past relationships. He had dropped all of his barriers; he had shown the boy more than just his tough outer shell, and he didn’t have a single regret.

            So he would wait as long as necessary.

            The sound of approaching footsteps had Levi looking up, and he smiled as Eren walked into the room, but his smile quickly faded. Eren had looked at him for less than a second before dropping his head and shuffling over to a chair at the table, flopping down while his face remained hidden by his hair.  

            Levi set his cup down onto the counter and crossed his arms, taking in the boy’s tense appearance. To say he was worried would be an understatement; he could feel himself starting to panic, but he forced himself to remain calm, cool and collected. So his outer surface appeared relaxed while his mind was going mad, hounding him with questions.

            _‘What’s wrong with him?’_

_‘Is he okay?’_

            … Levi could feel his eyes growing wide as his breath caught in his throat.

            _‘Is he having second thoughts about us?’_

            He quickly shook his head to clear the thoughts as he moved his hands down to grip the counter- gripping so hard that his knuckles turned a sickening shade of white. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he concentrated on taking deep, steady breaths, and after a few moments, he was back to being as composed as possible, even though he didn’t feel like it on the inside.

            He turned his attention to the brunet once more. “Eren,” he called out cautiously.

            Eren’s hands curled into fists atop his knees as he felt his face reddening even more. It took merely one look at Levi to have him blushing like crazy. His dream was still so clear in his mind, and just a mere glance at the older man had him feeling weak to his knees.

            So maybe faking sick to get out of school wasn’t such a good idea if he couldn’t even look at Levi without looking like a love-struck idiot.

            He bit back the curses threatening to slip past his lips and slowly looked up at Levi- eyes betraying him and falling to stare at the man’s lips. “Y-yes?” He stuttered before dropping his head once more. He sounded like a fucking idiot. This was way harder than he thought.

            Levi’s brows furrowed and he approached the boy. He didn’t like the sound of Eren’s voice, nor did he like the way the boy was acting. He was concerned; had the boy gotten ill from being out in the rain yesterday?

            “Look at me,” he said as he stopped before Eren.

            Eren took in a deep, shaky breath and then lifted his head, locking eyes with Levi’s worry-filled ones.

            “Are you okay?” Levi asked as he reached up to feel Eren’s forehead, but Eren ducked, avoiding the older man’s hand. Eren quickly got out of his chair and made a beeline for the living room, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

            “I’m gonna be late for school,” he called out to Levi without actually looking back at him.  “I think I will walk today,” he added as he bolted towards the door.

            “Eren.”  Levi leaned against the wall- arms crossed. He narrowed his eyes as he waited for a response.

            Eren froze- hand hovering over the doorknob. He didn’t want Levi mad at him, but he couldn’t face him right now- not without looking like the world’s biggest idiot. And he really didn’t want to explain that he had a dream about them and that things would have probably gotten rated R had his alarm not ruined it. Levi would probably laugh at him, and he could just hear the snide comments about being a child. He didn’t want Levi to think he was a child.

            He just needed some time- some time to get over the dream, so they could go on with being together. He just needed a little time; that was all.

            “I have to go,” he said quietly before pulling the door open and exiting the apartment.

            And Levi stared with somber eyes as the door closed, leaving him alone in his apartment. He wanted to go after Eren; he wanted to demand what was going on. He wanted- no, he needed to know what was wrong. But instead, he trudged into his room to gather his things for work.

            “Give him time,” he mumbled to himself as he slipped his arms into his coat sleeves.  

* * *

            Eren took one look at the school building and let out a loud, defeated sigh. He truly didn’t want to go. He knew that he at least had Armin and Marco to back him up, but he didn’t want to take them down with him if things got messy. He didn’t want people to hate them for being associated with some violent freak.  

            Maybe he should try the whole head down, no speaking thing. Maybe he could make himself have little to no presence so people wouldn’t even know he was there. That, he told himself, would probably be for the best.

            He pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he hurried into the school- head down and bangs effectively hiding his face.

* * *

            Levi got out of his car and was greeted by a coffee cup shoved at his face, just like every morning.

            “Good morning!” Hanji said in a sing-song voice as Levi took the cup of steaming coffee out of her hand. “How’s our lovely mall owner this morning?” She questioned as she matched his pace- the two heading into the mall.

            “Fucking fantastic,” he spit out harshly. Normally, he would have apologized for snapping, but with Hanji things were different. They had been friends for long enough to where she doesn’t take any of his snide comments or harsh tones personally.

            “Well, who pissed in your cereal this morning?” She asked, raising her eyebrows as she eyed the shorter man. “Was it Eren?” She studied him, noting how his shoulders fell. “So, it was Eren,” she said while nodding.

            “Hanji,” Levi started, “I really don’t want to fucking talk about it.” He quickened his pace, but Hanji easily caught back up to him.

            “Aw, why not? I thought everything was going so well with you two.” She shook her head before starting again. “There was so much love in the air!” She shouted, waving her hands about.

            Levi knew that Hanji knew. He knew that the brunette had known about his feelings towards Eren for a while. He didn’t have to say anything to her. She just always managed to find things out, and in a way, it was kind of frightening. He shrugged in response before turning to open his office door.

            “Did you two get in a fight already?”

            “Who got into a fight already?” A different voice asked and Levi and Hanji turned to see Erwin approaching them.

            “No one,” Levi said at the same time Hanji spit out, “Eren and Levi.” And Levi shot the brunette a piercing look before walking into his office, groaning as he heard the two following him inside.

            “Levi,” Erwin started as he took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Levi’s desk, “do you want to talk about it?”

            “I think you should,” Hanji added as she plopped down into the other seat, propping her feet up on the edge of Levi’s desk.

            Levi sunk down into his own chair, rubbing his hands up and down his face as he sighed. He knew there was no getting around these two; they could be so fucking persistent when they wanted to be. “It’s a short story,” he said suddenly, regretting the words as they slipped past his lips.

            “Well, we’re all ears!” Hanji said as she and Erwin leaned forward.

* * *

            Eren closed his locker and hurried into his first class- careful not to take Jean’s seat once again even though there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him to take it anyway. He shut the voice up- not wanting to cause any more problems.

            After placing his History book and notebook onto his desk, he dropped his head, allowing his bangs to hide his face, and he began to focus on making his presence as small as possible. He wasn’t really sure how to do that, but he remembered the many times he was ignored when he was homeless, and he imagined that same, emotionless, almost invisible feeling he had after being ignored so many times.

            He breathed in and out quietly, focusing on making himself disappear without actually disappearing. And he thought he was doing a pretty damn good job until someone approached his desk. He didn’t even have to look up to know who it was- there was this cocky arrogance practically radiating off of the boy, and Eren couldn’t help but groan as he heard the boy take in a breath before speaking.

            “Well look who it is.”

            Eren rolled his eyes before looking up at Jean. This, he thought to himself, was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And back to Friday updates. 
> 
> Anyway, I don't really have anything that needs to be said about this chapter so...
> 
> Thanks for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks! You guys are all amazing, and I'm just going to keep saying this whether or not it annoys you so deal with it :) 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji knows what's up, and Levi has trouble believing her. And Eren draws a picture and agrees to hang out with friends after school.

       "And so basically, he won't talk to me or look at me now." Levi said, finishing his recap of the frustrating events from that morning. The story had taken a whole forty-eight seconds, and yet Erwin and Hanji were practically at the edge of their seats.

       "Did he seem more on the angry side or more on the embarrassed side?" Hanji questioned with both eyebrows raised. She was pretty certain she knew why Eren was behaving the way he was, but she wanted to try and get as many specific details as possible- just to be sure.

       "I don't fucking know," Levi spit out as he fell back against his chair. "It's like I said, he was kind of stuttering for a bit, and then he just got up, said he was going to walk to school, and then left." He pressed his palms against his eyes and let out a loud groan; he was frustrated and worried and afraid and a little bit angry, and surely that many emotions coursing through his body all at once was bad for his health.

       As if on cue, his head chose that exact moment to throb, and he slid one hand up until his palm was pressing against his forehead. Yea, this was definitely bad for his health.

       "Are you alright?" Erwin asked upon noticing the pained expression on his friend's face.

       "No." Levi stood from his chair, walking around his desk and across the room until he stopped to face a framed painting hanging on his wall. The painting wasn't put there by his choice- Erwin had bought it for him as some kind of office gift or some shit.

       It showed a man standing in the middle of the painting with a rather deadpanned expression on his face. And all around him were duplicates of himself wearing different expressions in darker colors. One of the duplicates was crying while clutching at his chest. Another duplicate was on his knees with his fingers tugging at his disheveled hair. There was one that was red in the face with furrowed brows- this one appeared to be screaming. One towards the right of the painting was wearing a frightened expression while biting at his finger nails. Another smaller one towards the back was standing lazily sporting some stupid lopsided grin while having one hand pressed against his cheek- and his cheeks appeared to have a faint blush to them.

       Levi's eyes darted among the many different expressions, and he sighed while shaking his head because this painting was annoyingly similar to how he was feeling right now.

       "Levi?"

       The shorter man could hear the concern in Erwin's voice. "Have you ever felt multiple feelings at once?" Levi asked suddenly- still standing in front of the painting with his back to his friends.

       "Of course," Hanji answered with a good amount of sass in her voice, making it seem as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. "That's just how human emotions work."

       "So," Levi began, turning slowly on his heel until he was facing the brunette, "it's normal to feel mad, and frustrated, and worried, and afraid all at the same time?"

       Hanji tilted her chin down slightly, peering over her glasses at the shorter man. "Yes, and I can assume that all of those emotions center around Eren."

       Levi's eyes dropped to the floor. Of course.

       Of course it's Eren.

       Everything he had felt the past few months had been because of Eren. The damn brat was practically taking over his life, but he was kind of, really okay with that. He truly wanted to be with Eren- that's why he was so concerned with the boy's actions. That's why he was slightly angry at the boy's actions, and why he was frustrated with the boy's actions, and why he was feeling afraid- he had apparently developed a huge fear of losing Eren.

 _'Holy shit.'_  Levi thought to himself- face sporting a rather shocked expression.

       A knock on the door had the three turning towards the sound, and Levi called out for the knocker to come in before moving back to his desk. A store manager walked in, requesting Erwin's presence, and Erwin stood, making his way towards the door. He stopped just as he stepped through the doorway, turning to look over his shoulder at his two friends. "Shall we continue this at lunch? It's been a while since we've all had lunch together."

       "No," Levi muttered, but his words were drowned out by the loud "Yes!" from Hanji.

       "Alright then," Erwin started, "we'll meet back here at noon." And with that said, he exited the room completely, disappearing down the hallway.

       The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Hanji took that as her cue to leave. "I should be on my way," she began as she hopped to her feet, "got some assistant stuff to do!" She spun on her heel and strolled out of the room, leaving Levi alone with his very loud and very frustrating thoughts.

* * *

       Eren's first class was going exactly as he expected it would. Anytime he glanced at Jean, he was greeted with an annoyed stare. But when he looked at other people, they would quickly turn away as if they were afraid of him.

       And the freaking whispering- that was the worst. It was like his other classmates didn't even try to make it look like they weren't talking about him. Apparently he wasn't very good at the whole being invisible act.

       But, even with everyone treating him as if he were a monster, there were still some people who acted as if nothing had happened- like Armin. Armin had entered the classroom and marched right up to him and smiled, and it was a genuine smile. It wasn't one of this bullshit pity smiles some of the teachers had given him as he walked to his class.

       And he had returned the smile, feeling instantly relieved. But, some girl chose that exact moment to walk by, and she gave Eren a disgusted look before glancing up at Armin. And Armin had given that girl a smile that may have seemed normal from a distance, but up close, it was rather frightening, and Eren literally witnessed the fear wash over the girl's face before she bolted to the front of the row.

       Along with Armin, Marco had also treated him as if nothing had happened. And the two boys sat very close to him- Armin in front of him and Marco behind him. And in a way, that made Eren feel safe- almost as if the two boys served as shields from the mean stares and the harsh words.

       A loud bell ringing from the intercom had Eren jumping to his feet. He quickly stuffed his books into his backpack before slinging the half-zipped bag over his shoulder. He was about to race towards the door when a hand gently latched onto his shoulder. He peered over his shoulder to see Armin staring at him with kind eyes while Marco and Jean stood behind him.

       "Wh-what's up?" Eren asked, mentally cursing himself for sounding like a fucking idiot- something he's been doing a lot of recently.

       "Do you want to come over to my house after school?" Armin asked, sporting a very inviting smile.

       Eren found that his lips were having trouble forming words. "Uh…"  _'Fuck!'_ There's the sounding like an idiot thing again.

       "Connie and Sasha will be there too," Marco added.

       Armin took a step back to jab his elbow into Jean's side, prompting the taller boy to speak. "Just come, Jaeger. It will be fun, I guess," Jean said with a shrug.

       Eren stared at Jean, taking a second to notice the dark bruising around the boy's nose. He had done that just two day ago, and now the boy he did that to was telling him to go to Armin's with everyone after school.

       "Uh… okay," he finally said- eyes widening as he was greeted with a hug from Armin. He cautiously lifted his arms up to wrap lightly around the smaller boy, and it oddly felt natural- like he and Armin had been friends forever or something.

       "Thanks for agreeing to come!" Armin said as he let go of Eren. "Do you need to call Levi and tell him?"

_'Levi.'_

       Eren took a wobbly step backwards.  _'Levi.'_  He repeated in his head once more, and the dream came rushing at him like a fucking stampede. He could feel his cheeks starting to burn, and he dropped his head so his hair would hide his reddening face.

       "Eren?"

       Eren took a second to take in a few deep breaths, exhaling quietly. He needed to calm the fuck down. Now was definitely not the time to think about the dream- not while his friends were watching him. Shit. He probably looked like the biggest idiot right now.

       "I'll need to call him," Eren finally said with a trembling voice, and he offered the three boys a small smile.

       Armin nodded. "You can call him during lunch with my phone." He started towards the door. "For now, let's hurry before we are late to second period."

       The four walked out of the room before parting ways. Eren made it to his art class just as the bell sounded, and he shot his teacher an apologetic smile before taking his seat- which, to his surprise, was the same seat he had before he got suspended.

       "We saved your seat for you," Sasha whispered excitedly as Eren picked up the pencil lying on his easel.

       "Thanks," he said softly before turning his attention towards the teacher.

       "I'm in a good mood," Riko began, "so I want you to draw something that makes you happy. You have until the end of class."

       Eren's mind went blank, and his hand started to move on its own. He started with the eyes- pencil moving in a curved motion. He then moved on to the nose- hand drawing the correct shape as if it were the hand of a professional artist. Then the lips- hand drawing with ease and perfection.

       And this went on for the entire class time.

       Eren was just finishing the shading on the hair when Riko called time. He set his pencil down while leaning back slightly to admire his work, and what the fuck?

       Staring back at him was a portrait of Levi.

       "Woah, Eren!" Connie, who had gotten up from his stool and moved to Eren's easel without Eren noticing, shouted while clasping his hand down onto Eren's shoulder.

       "Woah indeed." Riko added as she approached Eren's easel. "Who might this be? He looks kind of familiar," Riko stated, tilting her head as she studied the portrait.

       "He's…" Shit, Eren didn't know what to say.

       Friend?

       Temporary guardian?

       He bit down on his lip… Boyfriend?

       He shook his head lightly before turning to look up at Riko. "He's just someone that fits with the assignment you gave."

       Riko nodded before moving on to the next person while Connie went back to his easel to pack up his things.

       Eren retrieved his backpack, snatching up the portrait and carefully folding it until it was small enough to fit into the side pocket of his bag. He then started towards the door, stumbling as he felt an arm drape across his shoulders. He felt the arm tighten to keep him from falling, and he twisted his neck to see Connie smiling at him.

       "Hey man, don't worry about Jean. He's not used to fighting with people stronger than him." Connie said just as Sasha ran up to the other side of Eren.

       "Yea," Sasha agreed. "Oh! So Marco texted me to say that you are coming with us to Armin's tonight!" She squealed while clasping her hands together.

       "Uh… Yea." Eren muttered, and Connie began laughing beside him.

       "It will be fun," Connie said as a form of reassurance. "Everything is fun when I'm around," he called out as he turned on his heel, making his way to his locker.

       Eren turned to Sasha, and she smiled at him and waved before heading off in Connie's direction.

       He let out a light laugh before heading towards his locker.

* * *

       "Why do we have to eat lunch in my office?" Levi questioned- voice laced with annoyance. He watched with narrow eyes as Erwin and Hanji took their respective seats across his desk before placing two bags of food on the edge of his desk.

       "Would you rather we talk in public about your relationship troubles?" Hanji asked, dodging the pen that Levi threw at her.

       "There's nothing more to talk about," Levi snapped.

       "No, there is!" Hanji shouted, dodging yet another pen that Levi threw with more force than the first one. "Listen for a second okay?" She stopped to make sure both boys were listening before continuing. "I think Eren may have had a rather," she paused, pondering her next word choice, "adult dream about you."

       "That's absurd."

       "That's fucking stupid."

       Hanji's eyes darted between the two men. She let out a loud sigh before continuing. "It makes sense. He's young and in love. And, he's probably embarrassed. That's why he can't look at you or speak with you."

       "Your reasoning is bullshit," Levi spit out before leaning back in his chair. "We kissed a few times, and that was it. There's no way that could be enough to warrant that kind of dream." He finished with a huff.

       "Let's make a bet," Hanji began, ignoring the warning looks from Erwin. She pulled a five dollar bill out of her pocket and placed it on the middle of the desk. "I'm betting five dollars that sometime today Eren will call you and give you a reason as to why he won't be coming straight home."

       Levi smirked, slapping a five down onto his desk. "Easy win," he said- voice strong and confident.

       A sudden, blaring sound had Levi scrambling to grab his phone. He looked at the unfamiliar number with furrowed brows before flipping his phone open. "Levi Rivaille," he said into the phone.

_"Levi..?"_

        Levi's narrow eyes widened at the sound of Eren's voice. The boy sounded nervous, and he was suddenly beginning to think that Hanji would win the bet after all. He briefly glanced up to see Erwin giving him a concerned look while Hanji had a big, stupid grin on her face.

       "Eren. Are you okay?" Levi asked- the once confident tone was now dripping with concern.

_"I'm fine. Uh… I was wondering if I could go to Armin's house after school."_

       Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. "You want to go to Armin's after school?"

       "Yes!" Hanji screamed, snatching the money off of the table.

_"Er, yea. What was that scream?"_

       "Just Hanji being a fucking idiot," Levi muttered while shaking his head at the brunette. "And, um…" Shit, this shouldn't be hard. All he had to do was tell Eren that he could go, but his lips wouldn't form the words. "Uh…" He said into the phone, shooting Erwin a panicked look.

_"Levi? Are you mad? I don't have to go if you don't want me to."_

       "What? No! No." Levi started. "You… you can go," He said into the phone, practically whispering the last word.

_"Thanks. I'll call you from Armin's phone if I need you."_

       Levi pulled the phone away from his ear as the call ended. "Okay," he started, leaning forward until his elbows were resting atop his desk, "So suppose you are right about the dream. What do I do?" His eyes shifted between Erwin and Hanji.

       "Well, let's see…"

* * *

       The rest of his school day seemed to fly by much to Eren's dismay. He was nervous about going to Armin's. He kept asking himself what ifs as the hours flew by.

_'What if they want to talk about what happened to me?'_

_'What if they realize I'm a loser and don't want to hang out with me anymore?'_

       And one particular question that had been dancing around in his mind ever since lunch.

_'What if Levi is seriously mad at me?'_

       He knew he could just tell Armin he's not feeling up to it- he felt that the blond would understand. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to face Levi. He was afraid of Levi being mad at him, and worried that Levi would be hurt because of his actions, and frustrated that he couldn't face Levi without looking like an idiot, and mad that he was acting so childish.

       Each emotion was bolting through his body like lightening, and the solution was obvious- it was so fucking obvious that it might as well be written on a big sign in bold letters right in front of him. But how the hell was he supposed to bring up his dream to Levi? It's not exactly something that can just be casually brought up during a fucking dinner conversation.

       "Are you ready, Eren?"

       Eren's thoughts came to a halt as Armin appeared beside him, and when the hell did Armin get here? He certainly didn't remember noticing the blond walk up to him.

       "Y…yea," He mumbled, and he and Armin started towards the school's exit.

       Okay, so this was definitely not the solution to fixing all of his problems, but he figured maybe he could pull Armin aside at some point and ask him for advice.

       And he continued to reassure himself that Armin would know what to do as they met up with the rest of the group.

* * *

       Twenty-five minutes later, Eren and the others were all sitting in a circle on Armin's bedroom floor surrounded by unopened chip bags and full soda cans.

       Connie opened his soda and took a long sip before shifting his eyes over each person in the room. "Alright, I was thinking truth or dare, but I'm still recovering from a week ago when I had to jump into a fucking ice cold lake naked," he stopped to glare at Jean, who was sporting the world's biggest smirk. "So," he started again, "how about some real talk?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My summaries are so shitty. 
> 
> Anyway, random Sunday update. 
> 
> I don't really have anything I need to say for this chapter, so... 
> 
> Thank you so so so so much for all the comments, kudos' and bookmarks and subscribes (wth how did i forget that?!) !!! You guys are so freaking amazing and you make writing this so fun and I know I say that all the time but guuuh thank you all so much!! 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed! 
> 
> And I hope you all enjoy!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tells his friends a secret while Levi gets some simple advice. Oh, and then Levi stumbles upon something that pisses him off.

       Someone.

       He had said someone.

       To be specific, when asked if there was a special person in his life by Connie, Eren had answered- only instead of saying "there's this girl" he had said "there is someone". And really that shouldn't be a problem because these people all seemed nice enough (well Jean was an exception), and he didn't think that they would judge him or shun him if he were to reveal that the "someone" happens to be a boy...no a man. They were his friends after all.

       Right?

       "Care to share? We're all friends here," Connie called out suddenly with waggling eyebrows.

       Eren could feel his pulse racing, and he was ninety-eight percent sure that the temperature in the room was getting hotter by the second. His hands were shaking, and he hoped that no one had noticed when he lifted them to cross his arms over his chest. This, he told himself, was the beginning of one of his newly infamous panic attacks, and he just couldn't find an out- not when all eyes in the room were glued to him.

       If Levi were here, everything would be okay. Levi would protect him from all the piercing glares. Levi would wrap his arms around him and tell him not to worry about these little shits. Levi would...

       "Eren?"

       But... Eren blinked his eyes into focus, directing them towards Armin, who was giving him one of his famous "Armin looks".

       These people... no, these friends weren't glaring at him- okay well Jean was, but Eren was pretty sure that the boy's face was permanently stuck in that disgusted "I hate you all" expression.

       And his friends weren't little shits- well Levi would disagree, but that man thinks everyone who he isn't close to is a little shit. He would know- he had been a "little shit" for a while. And he still hadn't fully gotten past the whole "brat" thing.

       No, they were simply friends who were curious to know more about him. There's nothing wrong with that. He was the new kid after all, and he had made quite a...noticeable first impression when he had fought Jean.

       He was stupid to think that his friends would treat him as an outcast just because he was ninety-nine percent sure he was gay. The lone one percent of uncertainty was due to the fact that he had never actually talked to anyone about this kind of stuff, nor had he ever even been in a relationship before. But now was as good as a time as ever- now while he was among friends.

       "So, there's this… guy…"

* * *

       "That's it?" There was obvious annoyance dripping off of Levi's tone, but honestly, he was really annoyed. He had expected Hanji to have this master plan to deal with Eren having a rather intriguing dream about him, but the brunette had told him that he needed to make Eren feel comfortable around him. That was it. That was Hanji's amazing idea.

       "Yep," Hanji responded, popping the 'p' louder than necessary.

       Levi's face deadpanned as he fell back against his chair. How in the hell does making Eren more comfortable around him solve anything? Granted, he really fucking wanted Eren to be more comfortable around him because he was head-over-heels in love with the boy, but he just didn't see how this would solve the whole dream thing. They weren't even a hundred percent certain that the boy had a sexual dream in the first place. They were creating ideas based on an assumption.

       "Do you not understand Levi?" Erwin questioned with the hopes to clarify what was obviously confusing to the smaller man.

       "Do you?" Levi asked flatly, knowing full and well that Erwin would know because he's Erwin. The blond knew a lot of things that Levi didn't when it came to human emotions- something that was not Levi's forte.

       "You believe the idea to be rather simple, correct?" Erwin asked, earning a huff from Levi but a bright-eyed smile from Hanji.

       "Thought I made that clear already," Levi grumbled, pressing his palms against his eyes.

       "Then you already have your answer."

       Levi moved his hands away from his eyes, narrowing them as he shot the blond a 'what the fuck' glare- something that was his forte.

       And Erwin caught on fairly quickly. He had come to recognize the various types of glares that his friend had created. He liked to call this one the "I am so confused but I'm too proud to admit it so I'm just going to glare at you like I'm annoyed" glare.

       "What Hanji is trying to get you to see with her simple idea is that the solution is just that simple." Erwin offered- his own voice slightly tinged with annoyance now.

       Levi's eyes dropped to his desk. He did his best to make it seem that he was focusing on a stray document when he was really thinking and understanding… and feeling like a fucking idiot.

       Of course the solution was that fucking simple. There was no need to do anything extravagant; all he had to do was make Eren more comfortable around him. It would serve as a kind of coaxing method, and the more comfortable Eren felt, the more he would be willing to talk. But how in the hell was he supposed to do that? What was he supposed to do or say to make the boy more comfortable around him?

       More kissing?

       Maybe, assuming that the whole dream business was true, reenacting the dream?

       Okay, Levi thought, those ideas are more...well he wouldn't get into that now. He had to put Eren's needs before his own wants. But, still, what could he do?

       "Talking."

       Levi's head snapped up- eyes quickly locking onto Hanji's surprisingly neutral expression. "What?"

       The corner of Hanji's lips twitched, threatening to shove away her carefully crafted neutral expression for a more amused one. "It's the answer to the question you have been brooding over for the last two minutes." And so much for her neutral cover because her lips pulled up into a huge smile as Levi's eyes widened at her words.

       "Talking is the best way," Erwin chimed in- voice deep and oddly frightening, which he assured himself was for emphasis purposes. Levi would be a fool to think that he didn't know what inappropriate ideas were playing through said man's mind.

       "Oh." Levi dropped his chin into his palm. "So what do we talk about then? Surely you two would know since you seem to know so much." He spit out harshly.

       "Tell him what you like about him," Hanji offered. "If Eren can see how much you like and care for him, then he will surely be more willing to open up to you," she added upon noting Levi's confused expression.

       "Fuck," Levi whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He wasn't afraid of many things, but he was afraid of looking like a fool in front of Eren. And he wasn't sure if he could tell Eren how absolutely amazing he was without choking up- meaning all the tears and voice cracking and bullshit he'd rather not think about.

       "Practice on us," Erwin said suddenly as if he had heard Levi's thoughts.

       "No."

       Hanji tossed her hands into the air. "Oh come on Levi," she shouted, dragging out the 'i'. "We can tell you if you sound stupid or not!"

       "Hanji," Erwin growled, nudging the brunette with his elbow upon noticing Levi's multiple glances at the door. "She just means that we can help you with-"

       "I know what she means," Levi interrupted as he stood from his chair. "But I think I want to do this on my own now," he added, shooting his friends a rare, apologetic smile. "I'm going to take a walk since you know it's my mall and I can do as I please," he finished with a typical Levi smirk before exiting the room.

       "Aw," Hanji fell back against her chair with a huff. "That's no fun."

       Her words never seemed to reach Erwin, however. The blond was too busy staring at the closed door with worried eyes. He knew how much Levi cared for Eren- this was the first time he had ever seen him care so much for someone romantically. And he was afraid of how shattered Levi would be if things didn't work out.

      Maybe he was overreacting, but he really didn't want to see his best friend hurt because said friend couldn't find the right words to say to Eren.

       "I mean I really feel that we could have helped him. We are way better at thi-"

       "We are going to follow him."

       Hanji's eyes lit up as she completely turned in her chair to face Erwin. "Really?!"

       "Yes." Erwin responded flatly as he stood, heading towards the door.

       "Um, what about work?" Hanji waved her hands around as she caught up to Erwin, who was unlocking his office door.

       "I am going to put Petra in charge until we return." Erwin answered, sliding his arms into his coat sleeves.

       "Awesome!" Hanji pulled out her cellphone and began scrolling through her contacts. "I'll call her and let her know."

* * *

      "... and he's incredibly strong! He has one of those bodies you would see on one of those commercials for some kind of workout machine! It's crazy though because he's so short. You wouldn't expect him to have the body that he has. Oh! He can cook too, like really, really well..."

       All eyes were focused on Eren as he gushed about his mystery man, only said man wasn't that big of a mystery to some.

       Connie figured the guy was the same guy that Eren had drawn in art class- he had fit the description Eren had given for the guy's face, hair and eyes. But that was all he knew, so he kept listening with a smile. He was enjoying see this side of Eren.

       Jean was on the verge of figuring it out; it was on the tip of his tongue. It was the man he had bumped into at the mall- the same guy that was about to murder him on the spot and the same guy that looked panicked when he had mentioned that Eren was crying. But something just wasn't clicking, so he continued to rack his brain for the answer while pretending to listen to Eren's babbling. He kept an eye on Armin, nodding when he saw Armin nod to truly make it look like he was in to this story.

       And then there was Armin.

       He knew as soon as Eren started talking. And one glance at Marco told him that the freckled boy knew as well. And he was grateful that Marco had opted to keep his mouth shut. He didn't want Eren to feel uncomfortable around them- not when he had already opened up so much to them. This was a new side of Eren, and he was glad to be able to witness it. He decided to wait to ask Eren the lingering questions when they were alone.

       So he continued listening with his lips pulled up into a smile. He liked seeing Eren this way; it was a welcome change.

       "…he's actually really nice too…" Eren's words trailed off as the events of that morning hit him full force. Levi had merely been concerned for him because he was acting so weird, and yet he acted like an asshole. He had treated the older man coldly and then left. He just left with no fucking explanation.

       "But I fucked up…" Eren whispered, getting to his feet.

       "Eren?" Armin stood too, making a beeline to the now somber boy.

       However, Eren was faster, and he bolted towards the door, turning to glance over his shoulder at all of the faces watching him. "I'm sorry. There's just something I need to do," he muttered before leaving the room.

       "What's his deal?" Jean asked, earning a shrug from Connie.

       Armin, on the other hand, raced down the stairs, stopping behind Eren as said boy slipped into his coat. "What's wrong?" He questioned, latching his fingers onto Eren's arm.

       "I messed something up, and I need to fix it," Eren answered, keeping his back turned to the blond. He could briefly hear someone coming down the stairs, and he turned halfway around to see Marco approaching the two. "You guys don't have to worry about anything," he added with a soft smile. "I'm gonna be fine. I just really need to fix this now." He turned back towards the door, hand falling onto the doorknob.

       "Can we help?" Marco asked with a worried voice.

       "No," Eren said quietly. "This is something I need to do on my own." And with that said, he pulled the door open, stepping out into the piercing winter air and starting towards the Colossal Mall.

       "What do we do?" Marco asked, gnawing on his bottom lip as he watched Armin stare at the brunet until his neighbor's trees blocked his line of vision.

       Armin didn't answer. Instead, he reached for his jacket, fully intent on going after Eren. He wasn't comfortable with the boy going off on his own. And it wasn't that he thought that the brunet wasn't capable of defending himself; he was just worried. It was going to be dark in a few hours, and Eren didn't have a phone, and he just really didn't want something to happen to his friend. So going after him was the best option- it was the only option.

       "Armin, what-"

       "Wait."

       Armin and Marco both turned to see the rest of the group being led down the stairs by Jean and Connie. Jean had his hand raised, motioning for the blond to hold up for a few seconds. "Connie and I will go after him," Jean announced- not even needing to turn to see if Connie was okay with it. He could practically feel the determination radiating off of the smaller boy.

       "I'm going too," Armin started, buttoning his jacket.

       "You have guests Armin," Jean started, handing Connie his jacket before reaching for his own. "Leave this to us; we'll make sure that idiot doesn't get himself in trouble."

       Armin was reluctant to agree. He crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly to the right. "But you don't like Eren." It wasn't a question; it was a statement- a true one at that. He knew that Jean was having trouble forgiving Eren for the fight the other day.

       "I…Uh…" Jean mentally cursed at himself for sounding like a stuttering moron. But he really was at a loss for words.

       "He owes Eren."

       Jean's head snapped in Connie's direction, staring with wide eyes at the smirking boy.

       "Don't you Jean?" Connie questioned, shooting Jean a look that all but screamed to don't be an idiot and agree.

       Jean opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it. Did he owe Eren? He had been an ass to him ever since they met, but did he owe the kid? He sighed, nodding to Connie's previous question. So maybe he did owe Eren a little bit, and maybe he was a tiny bit worried about the dumbass, but he wouldn't tell the brunet that in a million years. He would just consider this kind act as a way to start over with Eren without actually having the whole "I'm sorry let's start over" bullshit talk.

       "Jean." Armin's voice was low. "This is serious."

       Jean locked eyes with Armin's narrowed, blue ones. He matched the boy's gaze and gave one, small nod. "I know." With that said, he nodded to Connie and the two headed out the door.

       "We'll text you updates!" Connie called over his shoulder right before they were hidden by the trees.

       Armin draped his jacket back onto the coat rack before walking into his living room- the rest of the group in tow.

       "Everything will be fine," Sasha started, flopping down onto the couch beside the blond. "Connie will keep Jean in line. They'll keep Eren safe."

       Armin's eyes lingered on the door before he turned to give Sasha a small smile. "I'm sure you're right."

       "So," Sasha started again, "did you guys know that Eren was gay?"

* * *

_'Eren… I can't even begin to express how much you mean to me. You are my everything Eren…'_ Levi let out a loud sigh while shaking his head. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking, but he was cold because he didn't bring his fucking jacket, and he was frustrated because everything he said in his head sounded like some cheesy li/wipes ne from some daytime soap opera.

       Nothing sounded right. And he wasn't used to saying things like this, but after thinking about it so much, he realized how much he wanted to say it- whatever "it" was.

       He wanted to tell the brat how much he loved him. He wanted to tell him how perfect he was. He wanted to tell him how even though they hadn't known each other that long, he truly loved him. He wanted to open up to Eren just as he wanted Eren to open up to him.

       He needed it.

       "I said let go!"

       Levi stopped- face turning towards the direction where the voice that had just pulled him out of his thoughts came from. That voice was far too familiar to him, and he found himself racing towards the owner of the voice, hoping and praying that it wasn't…

       "Eren!" He skidded to a halt, taking in the scene before him with wide eyes. He felt his blood boiling as he watched Eren's face scrunch up in pain as some stranger in a ski mask punched him in the stomach.

       Levi's eyes narrowed as his hands curled into fists.

       And he took his first step towards the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late! I've tried typing this chapter so many times but I just never liked what I typed. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the comments, subscribes, bookmarks and kudos'! I love you all. Seriously, I do. 
> 
> Mm, sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed. I typed the 1st half of this on my phone, and there were a lot of errors, but I think I got most if not all of them. 
> 
> And I hope you all enjoy!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've never had to do this before and I'm not sure if what I've typed applies, but I want to be careful so- trigger warning for panic attacks.

       It was the voice that pulled him back into reality- the voice that was so familiar yet so out of place in the current setting. His eyes opened slowly; his vision was slightly blurred from the few tears welling in his eyes because really, that blow to his stomach hurt like hell- his stomach was still throbbing, and he was positive that it would bruise.

       He blinked a few times, forcing the welling tears to slide down his cheeks, but in return, his vision cleared just in time to see Levi stop at his side, eyeing the masked man down with a look filled with hatred.

       Eren opened his mouth, taking in a shaky breath, but a hand on his arm stopped him from speaking. His eyes widened as Levi looked at him, meeting his eyes while giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. His usually cold eyes looked so soft and so gentle- it was hard for Eren to believe that seconds before his eyes were practically glowing red with anger.

       He opened his mouth again; he needed to stop what was bound to happen, but Levi gave his arm another squeeze before turning his attention back to the masked man, who was watching the scene with an annoyingly amused look.

       Eren kept his eyes locked onto Levi, watching how the man's features tightened and narrowed and reclaimed that look of hatred he once wore. He watched as the man carefully slid his right foot back while his fist trembled at his side.

       "Le-AH!" Eren was jerked back by Levi right before the older man stepped forward with his fist raised. He felt himself falling, but he never hit the ground. He landed against something-or rather, he landed against someone as two strong hands fell onto his shoulders, steadying him.

       "What the-" Eren's words fell short at the sound of a loud, painful cracking noise followed by string of muttered curses filling the area. He watched with trembling eyes as the masked man staggered backwards, cupping his nose as blood poured out between his fingers.

       "Shit," he breathed out, keeping his eyes locked onto the developing scene. Levi was still approaching the masked man, mumbling words that Eren couldn't make out from where he was standing. He took a second to glance over his shoulder, taking in a sharp breath as his eyes darted across Erwin's face.

       "What the hell?" He hissed out, catching the blond's attention.

       "Are you alright?" Erwin questioned as his eyes dropped down to study Eren's face for any sign of injury.

       "I…Yea," Eren breathed out, turning his attention back to the two men before him. The two men were standing before each other, talking with their heads down.

       "What are you doing here?" Eren whispered as his eyes darted between the two men in front of him. He was beginning to feel hot, and he was pretty sure that he felt a bead of sweat slide down his face.

       "That's not important right now," Erwin answered quietly, and there was something about his voice that left Eren feeling uneasy. He craned his neck to look back at the blond, noticing that the blond was now looking off to the side with furrowed brows. He turned his head to match the man's gaze, and that's when he saw another man approaching the scene. But what was more noticeable was the fucking knife held at the new man's side.

       Eren opened his mouth- a scream to warn Levi quickly building in his throat, but Erwin pressed his palm against his mouth. He jerked his head back to look at the blond with wide, frightened eyes, but Erwin simply shook his head before mouthing 'quiet' to him. He could feel his legs start to tremble, and he still felt uncomfortably hot despite the cold weather.

       "What do we do?"

       Eren's head snapped to the other side. "Hanji!" He whispered loudly. "When did you-"

       "Shh," the brunette pressed her index finger against her lips, shaking her head at the boy before turning her attention back to Erwin.

       "Keep him here and be prepared to call the police," Erwin said, passing Eren off to Hanji before heading towards the armed man in a frighteningly calm manner.

       "What..? No, Erw-"Again his words were turned into a muffled mess by a hand being pushed against his mouth. He struggled against Hanji's grip, but the brunette was having no bullshit. She tightened her hold around his shoulders and wouldn't give in to his poor attempts to free himself.

       She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket with her free hand, busying herself with the buttons.

       "Hanji!" Eren tried against her hand still pressed against his mouth. She moved her hand away, and he took in a few quick breaths, and fuck it was hard to catch his breath. His chest felt really tight, but he shoved the thought aside. "We can't just-"

       "Bastard!"

       The voice had everyone freezing in place. The distant yet approaching sound of pounding footsteps pierced through the silence. And then shit happened that Eren would have never anticipated.

       Jean appeared suddenly behind the armed man, and he pinned the man's arms behind his back, digging his nails into the man's wrists until the man finally gave in and dropped the knife. And then the owner of the pounding footsteps appeared, racing straight to the man Jean had.

       "Connie!"

       "Hey Eren!" Connie shouted as he ran past the boy, then past Erwin until he was almost directly in front of the man. And then he jumped, extending his right leg out and kicking the man in the stomach.

       Jean dug his heels into the ground to keep the two from falling backwards right as both of Connie's feet hit the ground- but they were only there for a brief second. He lifted his right leg once more, twisting his body and smashing the side of his foot against the man's face.

       At the same time, Levi landed another punch against his opponent's nose, and the man fell back against the ground with a loud grunt and no apparent attempts of getting up at the moment.

       Levi then turned his attention to the other man, and he swiftly made his way over to the man, who was still trapped in Jean's hold. Levi grabbed the man's collar and gripped his chin tightly with his free hand. "Who the hell are you two?"

       "N-no one!" The man shouted, and Levi nodded for Jean to let the man go, and Jean obliged, making his way over to Connie, who was currently being forced to stand behind Erwin.

       Levi jerked the man towards the masked one, who was struggling on his hands and knees. He looked between the two men. "If I ever see either of you again, I can't promise that I won't rip your fucking heads off."

       The two men nodded frantically before stumbling away with no second glances.

       "I… What…" Eren's eyes darted wildly around the group of people now crowding around him. His breath was coming out in short gasps, and why was he so fucking hot? His chest felt tight, and the world seemed to be tilting, and he moved with it, crashing to ground with a painful thud.

       "Eren!?"

       "Shit, Eren! Are you okay?"

       "What the fuck?!"

       "Eren…"

       "Is this a panic attack?! I think it's a panic attack. My aunt had one once, and-"

       "Connie, shut the hell up for a minute!"

       "Eren, can you hear me?"

       So many voices… so many words plowing at him, and he couldn't find one to focus on. He couldn't focus on anything; his vision was quickly going black. There were so many noises, and they all started to blur together into one really big sound. Was that… was that his father's voice he just heard? He was fairly certain that he heard his father's voice among the meshing voices.

       The engulfing darkness was smothering him, and it felt as if there were hands reaching out to him and choking him, and shit. He really couldn't fucking breathe!

       "Move!"

       That one! That voice! That voice stuck out from the mesh of other voices. He needed to fucking find that voice; he reached a trembling hand out, and there! Something grabbed his hand.

       "Eren."

       He clutched at his throat with his free hand. "Can't breathe," he gasped out, hoping that the familiar voice could help him because he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.

       "I know. Can you look at me?"

       Another hand was placed gently over the one he had scratching at his throat. Did that voice ask something? He wasn't sure, but he needed to find out. He needed to see.

       "Come on Eren. I'm here."

       He was almost there; he knew he was. He just needed to get rid of the lingering darkness trying to pull him back.

       "It's me…It's Levi."

       Light flooded into his eyes, and he quickly squeezed his them shut. A few moments later, he braved it and opened them, blinking away at his fuzzy vision until everything became clear- until Levi became clear.

       "Levi," he breathed out, squeezing the man's hand weakly.

       "Don't talk right now," Levi started- relief washing over his face. "Just focus on my breathing, okay?" He moved closer to the boy, pressing their entwined hands against his chest while taking in deep, slow, steady breaths.

       Eren nodded, putting all of his effort into matching the older man's breathing. And after a few minutes, his breathing was mostly back to normal, and the world was no longer tilting. A few small tremors still shot through his body, but his head was clear, and his breathing was steady.

       "Better?" Levi asked, moving one hand to brush Eren's bangs back away so he could get a clear look into the boy's eyes. He wanted to make sure Eren was actually all there with him.

       Eren nodded once again. He felt utterly drained, and it was taking a lot of effort to keep himself upright.

       "Listen to me," Levi started, guiding the boy's dropping head back up to eye level. "You coming into my life is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I'll admit, I didn't like you at first. But," he paused, taking in Eren's watering eyes with his own welling eyes. "I just love you so goddamn much, got it?" He turned his head away, swiping the back of his hand across his tear-filled eyes.

       "You aren't mad at me for the way I acted?" Eren asked with a trembling voice.

       "No, I was fucking worried because you were acting so strange," he answered, taking in the boy's now blushing face with wide eyes as Hanji mouthed 'I was right' to Erwin, who was shaking his head the brunette.

       "Levi."

       Levi glanced over his shoulder to see the fucking audience behind him. He had been so worried about Eren's attack that he had forgotten that everyone was still there. "I'm going to take him home," he said suddenly as he got to his feet, bending down to help Eren stand.

       "Take a taxi," Erwin ordered. "And get him straight to bed. He's probably feeling extremely exhausted."

       Levi nodded, noting how Eren was having a bit of trouble staying upright on his own. He wrapped his arm around the boy's waist and made his way out to signal for a taxi.

       "So, that's his boyfriend?" Connie questioned, earning a smack on the back of the head by Jean, who had been watching the scene as if it were a scene of realization.

       "Let's go," Erwin ordered the boys. "I'm taking you two home. I don't want you out by yourselves."

       "Can you take us back to Armin's house?" Jean asked, and Erwin nodded before ushering the boys and Hanji to follow him.

* * *

       "Do you need anything else?" Levi asked, setting a glass of water on Eren's bedside table.

       "Stay with me tonight."

       Levi took a step back with wide eyes. "Are you sure?" He questioned loudly- eyes darting between the door and Eren.

       "Yeah." Eren shifted over until there was enough space for Levi on the bed.

       "Well," Levi moved slowly towards the bed, "if it's what you want." He climbed into the bed, pulling the blankets over himself before rolling over on his side to where his back was to the brunet. He reached up, turning the bedside lamp out before dropping down onto the pillow.

       The room was silent, but Levi knew that Eren wasn't asleep. He could hear the boy's quick breathing, and he could have sworn that the boy was thinking loud enough for anyone to hear his thoughts. However, he opted to remain silent. He wanted to ask Eren if he wanted to talk, but the brunet had a rough day. Sleep would be for the best right now.

       "I found out when I got back from school."

        Levi rolled over until he was facing Eren. "What?"

       "I had just gotten home from school. It was later in the evening because I had to stay after school for baseball practice, and I was really excited to show my mom this picture I drew at school."

       "Shit Eren," Levi started, propping himself up with his elbow and eyeing the boy nervously. "You don't have to do this right now."

       "No, I want to."

       "Uh… okay," Levi muttered.

       "So I got home and ran inside with the picture in my hand. See, my mom had been sick the last few weeks, so I was hoping the picture I drew of her would help her get better." He paused, gnawing lightly at his bottom lip as his eyes began to burn. "I was ten; it was a stupid thought." He shook his head, swallowing the lump building in his throat.

       "Anyway, when I went inside, I saw my dad's bags packed and sitting in the hallway in front of the door. I called out to him, and he came down the stairs crying. He knelt down in front of me and said, 'listen son, your mother passed away this morning, and now I need to leave.'" He took in a shaky breath before continuing.

       "He told me, 'take this advice, never trust anyone,' and then he grabbed his bags and left. And I just stood there crying for hours until my neighbor came inside and found me."

       "Eren…"

       Eren lifted his hand up to stop the man from saying anything further. "So my neighbor took me to a police station, and a few hours later this man came and told me that he was a friend of the family and that he had orders from my dad to take me in. So I went to live with him. We attended the funeral for my mom that my neighbors helped put together a few days later. I was hoping my dad would be there, but he wasn't."

       Eren sighed, blinking away a few tears- the memories were still so clear in his mind. "After the funeral, Nick, the family friend, started treating me like shit. He would hit me and choke me and call me worthless and a burden and tell me how he hates me and my family and that his life would be so much better if I were dead."

       Levi unconsciously curled his hands into fists as the brunet talked. He felt his blood boiling, and right now, he wanted nothing more than to go and rip this bastard's head off. No one should ever be treated that way.

       Eren visibly winced, rubbing at his neck as if Nick had just choked him. "So after a few months, I ran away. I hid at the graveyard where my mother was buried for a few days, but then some cops showed up. I thought they were looking for me, so I snuck away. I thought about going to my neighbor's house, but I didn't want to burden them, so I left town. I must have walked for days, keeping in the shadows so no one found me."

       Levi was a mix of concern and anger. He wanted to pull Eren into his arms and tell him that everything would be okay, but he also wanted to create a search party for the bastards who made Eren's life hell.

       "I kind of just ended up living like that, moving from place to place, sleeping in alleyways and on benches and in parks. I kind of got used to it after a while, and no one ever gave me a second glance. I blended into the city and learned how to live as a homeless person. I bumped into some nice homeless people as well as some mean ones." He briefly thought about the times he had to fight for the granola bar he managed to get or the pillow he stumbled upon.

       "I usually got sick when fall and winter hit, but it was never really that bad. But this year it hit me really hard- that's why I dared to go indoors as much as possible, and that's why I hid in your mall until closing that night when you found me."

       "I-"

       "No, you don't have to apologize for anything Levi." Eren started, cutting the older man off.

       "But I was the world's biggest jerk to you," Levi started again- eyes cast down.

       "And I'm telling you that it's okay," Eren said with a firm tone despite the tears spilling down his cheeks.

       "I'm almost finished," he began again, earning a muttered 'okay' from Levi. "So, I hate my father. He left me alone when I needed him the most. He got some abusive asshole to take me in, so yeah, I kind of really hate him. But the last words he said to me are like engraved into my mind. It's like… anytime I try to let someone close to me, his words shoot through my mind like a bullet, and yeah…" He bit down on his bottom lip with more force.

       "I feel different now, and I have you to thank for that." He finished, voice cracking slightly. He felt the bed move as Levi sat into a sitting position.

      "The memories still fuck with my mind though," He started again- his voice barely above a whisper. "And really, all I want is to just forget everything."

       Levi looked down at the boy, who was letting out little sobs as the tears slipped freely down his cheeks. He wanted to do something to take away the pain. So he shifted around on the bed until he was hovering over the boy. He placed one hand on the brunet's cheek, swiping the tears away while offering Eren a gentle smile.

       "Let me help," he breathed out, leaning down and claiming Eren's lips with his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trash. It's been a million years since I've updated and I'm sorry! School has been kicking my ass, and I've tried to type so many times but I just couldn't work out what I wanted. But I finally figured it out, and here it is! 
> 
> I don't know a lot about panic attacks- I googled symptoms but I'm thinking that it's something that varies depending on the person? Anyway it's probably not that accurate, but I gave it my best! 
> 
> Thanks so much for all the support on the fic- all the comments and kudos and subscribes and bookmarks! You guys will never not be awesome! 
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and I hope everyone enjoys!


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kissing ensues and a surprise guest or two

            Every limb froze as his breath caught in his throat. His pulse seemed to be the only thing racing in a reality that slowed down to a dead stop. His mind was swimming- or rather it was drowning with little to no hope for recovery. He felt his mind slipping deeper and deeper, but then it all stopped.

            This was Levi- the man he managed to fall head over heels in love with in just a short amount of time. He didn’t need to be afraid of the older man kissing him because he loved him, and he knew with all his heart that Levi felt the same.

            His limbs regained a sense of movement, and he lifted his hand up to rest atop the back of Levi’s head- thumb caressing soft circles as he returned the kiss just as his mind and body were rapidly urging him to.

            Levi pulled away, and Eren tipped his head back as the older man began nipping at his neck. Eren’s lips curled up into a smile as he blindly traced his fingers over Levi’s firm, bare back. Levi’s lips halted when they kissed fabric, and he looked down with furrowed brows at the shirt that Eren was still wearing. He tugged at it until Eren caught on by lifting his arms up over his head so Levi could pull the shirt off. The older man tossed the shirt on to the floor-eyes falling onto the large, developing bruise littering the younger boy’s stomach. He ghosted his fingers above it, feeling a quick rush of anger and sorrow before leaning down cautiously and claiming Eren’s lips with his own once more.

            Eren arched his back- a light moan slipping from his lips that had Levi groaning as he kissed the boy harder. The brunet moved his hand to cup the back of Levi’s neck as the other hand found its way back to the older man’s bare back. He didn’t realize he was digging his nails into Levi’s skin until the older man pulled back, wincing slightly as he stretched his back.

            “Sorry,” Eren mumbled, but Levi just shook his head- a light laugh passing through his lips. He leaned back down, hovering over Eren with his elbows propped up on either side of the brunet’s head.

            “You know I love you right?” Levi whispered, causing the younger boy to flush a bright red.

            Eren nodded- not trusting his voice. His eyes slid closed just as Levi’s lips pressed gently against his once more. He took caution this time around, swirling his fingers carefully over Levi’s back as the man kissed him.

            Levi pressed his lips against Eren’s with more force as his knee brushed against the younger boy’s crotch, and Eren gasped. Levi took that as his chance and soon enough, their tongues were dancing around one another as their bodies molded around each other.

            And it was an unspoken agreement that neither Eren nor Levi wanted it to end.

* * *

            “Tired?” Levi asked as Eren’s head fell against his chest- eyelids dropping with every passing second.

            “Mmm.” Eren curled himself against Levi, snuggling closer as the older man wrapped an arm around him.

            “You’ve had a long day,” Levi muttered, running his fingers through the younger boy’s brown locks.

            “Mmm.” Eren brushed his nose against Levi’s chest. He could feel sleep tugging at his mind, and he was ready to succumb.

            “Sleep Eren,” Levi whispered as he felt the boy’s breath evening out into a slow, deep rhythm. He too shut his eyes- falling into a deep sleep almost instantly.

* * *

            Eren rolled over, feeling around the bed for a certain warmth that was blaringly absent. His eyes slid open- still fuzzy with sleep. He blinked a few times until an empty side of the bed came into his vision. His fingers curled around the cold sheets as the memories from the night before came crawling back into his mind. His head felt heavy, and a dull ache thrummed throughout his body, and his stomach throbbed uncomfortably. He sat up slowly, tossing his arms above his head as he arched his back into a big stretch- feeling the pops and pulls of his muscles as well as the strain on the bruise. He groaned, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and slowly getting to his feet before shuffling out of the room in search of Levi.

            His nose led him to the kitchen, and he padded into the room, flopping down on a kitchen chair with another loud groan. “Hey,” he muttered before placing his hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn.

            “How do you feel?” Levi asked as he turned towards the younger boy- eyes trailing across the boy’s face before dropping to rest on the coloring bruise that was no doubt painful.

            “Exhausted,” Eren admitted. “Sore,” he added quietly. Even with the amount of sleep he had, he still felt like he could sleep for days. The previous day’s events panic must have taken more out of him than he had originally expected. He felt utterly drained, and all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep- for a few days preferably.

            “I bet,” Levi nodded, approaching the younger boy and placing his hand upon the brunet’s cheek. His thumb trailed underneath the boy’s slightly puffy eyes. “We are going to rest today. Lie around and watch movies and just rest.”

            “Mmm, good,” Eren mumbled as he leaned into the older man’s gentle touch.

            “Go lie on the couch,” Levi started as he headed back towards the stove. “I’ll bring your breakfast out when it’s ready.”

            Eren nodded as he pushed himself up out of the chair, shuffling back into the living room. He dropped down onto his back on the couch, tossing an arm across his eyes. He remained like that for a few minutes before a persistent buzzing ruined the mood. He lifted his arm, glancing at the coffee table to see Levi’s phone vibrating close to the edge.

            Sitting up, he grabbed the phone, staring at the unrecognizable number before answering it. “Hello?”

            _“Eren?”_

“Armin?”

            _“You’re okay!” Jean and Connie told me what happened, and I was so worried!”_

He could hear the relief laced within the boy’s tone, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Yea, sorry about all of that.”

            _“It doesn’t matter as long as you’re okay. But don’t go running off like that again, got it?”_

Eren laughed at the blond’s scolding voice while rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “I won’t. I promise.”

            _“Good. Get some rest today okay? We can talk more at school.”_

“I will. Thanks for calling, Armin.”

            _“Of course, Eren. I’ll talk to you later.”_

The two said their goodbyes, and Eren hung up the phone, lying back on the couch with a sigh. In just a short time, he’s gained a life he never thought he would get again. He had friends now, and a man he genuinely loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. It’s almost hard to believe how quickly things have improved for him. However, he still feels like he owes Levi considering all that the older man has done for him, and he still plans to find some way to pay Levi back without the older man knowing. But, he’s happy- unbelievably happy.

            He drew his knees up to his chest, wincing at the bruise as his stomach scrunched up. He rested his chin atop his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs. He could hear leaving handling plates in the kitchen, and it sounded so normal- everything was beginning to shift into this weird sense of normality that he was desperate to embrace.

            A quiet knock on the door sounded. Eren glanced towards the kitchen, but Levi didn’t appear to hear it. Another knock came, and Eren got to his feet, taking a last minute decision and turning to the kitchen to tell the older man.

            “Someone’s at the door,” he announced as he walked in.

            Levi turned to him- brows raised. He turned the knob at the top of the stove until it clicked off and grabbed a dishtowel to wipe his hands before heading to the door with Eren trailing close behind.

            He looked through peephole- eyes falling onto a bespectacled man. “Who the hell…” he murmured under his breath as he undid the locks and pulled the door open.

            “Can I help you?” He asked- eyes darting between the man and the second being who wasn’t shown when he had peered through the peephole.

            “Ah yes. We’re here for my son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know it's been like 8 years since I've updated, but life has happened in a way that's flipped my world upside down in a bad way, and it's been hard to shift back into the writing mode. 
> 
> But the story will continue! And I will finish it! 
> 
> Thank you for all the comments, kudos, bookmarks, and subscribes- I love you all!
> 
> Sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed. 
> 
> And as always, I hope you all enjoy!!


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here's a bottle of tears with that angst

 

            There was no room surprise for anger had stepped in- boiling Eren’s blood to a frightening degree. The brunet stormed forward, shoving Levi out of the way with his fist raised to take a swing at the man he had called father once upon a time. However, surprise quickly shot through every crevice of his body when his fist made contact with a small, rough palm. His eyes fell onto the person who had the audacity to stop him from delivering what he believed to be a well-deserved punch, and his breath caught in his throat.

            “M-Mikasa?!”

            The ravenette gripped Eren’s arm, pulling the dazed boy into a strong embrace.

            “What the hell?” Eren muttered against Mikasa’s red scarf- a scarf that belonged to him in what felt like another life.

            “What the hell indeed,” Levi growled, taking in the scene with his arms crossed and a pit growing in his stomach. “I’m reluctant, but maybe we could take whatever the fuck this is inside?” He added, gesturing at the group.

            “That sounds like a good idea.” The gray-haired man stated, earning a piercing glare from Levi, who did not believe he was fucking asking him.

            With the door closed and everyone in the apartment, Eren had time to try and mentally assess the situation; however, his mind was just a jumbled mess of ‘what the fuck.’ He bit down on his lower lip, locking eyes with Levi’s worried ones before finding his voice. “Why are you here?” He asked- voice painted with confusion and a tint of hostility.

            “Eren, are you not happy to see your father?” The gray-haired man asked, resulting in a loud scoff from Levi.

            “You’re joking right?” Eren asked through a biting laugh. He crossed his arms and fell back against the wall he was standing in front of. “What did you expect? Did you want me to burst into tears and tell you how much I missed you?”

            “I’m your father, Eren.”

            “Not sure if you can classify as that now,” Levi growled out. He mentally told himself to stay out of this the second he saw Eren swinging at the older man. He figured the brunet could handle it, but he couldn’t help it; he was pissed- the seeing red and borderline trembling pissed. But there was also this tight, nagging feeling of fear swirling around in his stomach. Why the fuck did Eren’s father have to show up when everything was going so well? He couldn’t help but feel that this is the climax of his story with Eren, and he was growing more and more afraid of how the falling actions would play out.

            “I should apologize,” Eren’s father started. “I deserve this treatment.”

            “No, you deserve Eren’s fist to your face, but you got your bodyguard to protect you,” Levi bit out, earning a warning look from Eren. Okay, he gets it. He should probably shut up now. It was just too much. He just fought muggers off for Eren, and now this goddamn man comes prancing in. How the hell did they find Eren anyway?

            “Eren, who is this man?” Eren’s father asked, gesturing towards Levi.

            “I’m-”

            “He’s my boyfriend,” Eren answered, cutting Levi off.  Levi’s eyes widened. He was going to tell this bastard that he was his worst nightmare, but he liked Eren’s answer a lot better. He liked the way that “boyfriend” had sounded coming from Eren’s lips. He could not help the small smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

            “Well now, that is surprising.” Eren’s father stated, crossing the room until he stopped directly in front of Levi. “Do you enjoy dating minors?”

            “Do you enjoy having your throat ripped out because that’s what’s going to happen if you don’t step back,” Levi growled- eyes narrowing into a piercing glare as Eren’s father took a few steps back.

            Eren’s father laughed before turning his attention back to Eren. “You have a feisty one on your hands.”

            “What do you want?” Eren asked- suddenly feeling very tired and very concerned.

            “I want you to come live with us,” his father answered, gesturing towards Mikasa, who had practically glued herself to Eren’s side.

            “You’re a bastard,” Eren hissed, stepping away from the wall to place himself directly in front of his father. “You abandoned me.” He jabbed his index finger into his father’s chest. “You left me with an abusive prick who wanted me dead.” He could feel his body trembling with each word. He often imagined what would happen if he ever saw his father again, and he’s starting to think he should have prepared better.

            “Please, let me explain.”

            “Explain what?!” Eren stepped back. “How could you ever explain why you did what you did?!” His fingers curled in on both hands until he had two, tight fists itching to punch everything in sight.

            “I had to leave. Your mother’s death was too much.”

            Eren laughed a full blown, side-clutching laugh that rang throughout Levi’s apartment. Levi could feel his feet moving towards the brunet before his mind had time to process what he was doing. He placed a hand on Eren’s shoulder, but the younger boy shrugged it off.

            “You’re too much.” Eren whispered to his father before dropping his head in the hopes that his bangs would mask his welling eyes.

            “I am so, so, so sorry Eren.” His father started. “But, I’m back now, and I promise to make up for everything I’ve put you through by my leaving.”

            “Unbelievable,” Eren muttered- his voice cracking as the tears poured out of his eyes. He blindly reached out for Levi’s hand and allowed a sigh of relief to slip passed his trembling lips when he felt the older man’s warm palm press against his shaking one.

            “We need you, Eren.”

            Eren squeezed Levi’s hand as the first words Mikasa had spoken in a while hit him like a bag full of bricks. He cared for Mikasa deeply; the two were inseparable as children, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she meant by “need”. He wanted to know why she was with his father.

            “Mikasa’s family was murdered, Eren. I happened to be in the area, and I took her in. We need you to come with us. We need to be a family together. Mikasa needs you.”

            Eren sucked in a shuddering breath at his father’s words. He could feel Levi tensing beside him, and he could only assume that Levi was glaring daggers at his father. He needed to look up; he needed to look his father in the eye to see if he was being genuine.

            After a few more moments, Eren raised his head- eyes widening at the sight of the tears sliding down his father’s cheeks. He squeezed Levi’s hand once more.

            “Please come with us, son. I understand that you appear to care for this man, but this relationship is entirely inappropriate, and I would hate to get the police involved.”

            “You son of a bitch,” Levi spit out, starting towards Eren’s father before being pulled back by the brunet.

            “Okay…”

            All eyes turned to the brunet. “What?” Levi asked with a trembling voice.

            “I’ll go with you,” Eren whispered. “Can you two leave us alone while I pack my things?”

            “Of course,” Eren’s father answered quietly while lifting his glasses to wipe away a few, stray tears. He and Mikasa exited the apartment.

            “Eren, what the fuck!?” Levi questioned quickly as he followed the brunet into the guest bedroom. He watched with panicked eyes as Eren began to gather his clothes and the like into the bag Erwin had given him the night of their first meeting. Levi reached out, curling his fingers around Eren’s wrist tightly. “You can’t,” he whispered- not even caring at how weak his voice sounded. He was about to lose the one thing in his life that made him feel warm and complete. Fuck putting up a strong exterior.

            “I have to,” Eren answered numbly. “If not, you will go to jail.”

            “No I won’t,” Levi responded immediately. “We can fight this. I mean, he abandoned you for fuck’s sake!”

            “Levi, please-“

            “No! I hope you see how completely unfair this is. You tipped my life upside down when I met you, and now everything is starting to straighten out and feel right again, and you are just going to leave and ruin that?” Levi could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He could feel his breath coming out in short gasps, and he had to briefly wonder if this is what a panic attack felt like.

            “I have to go, Levi. It would be for the best for both of us. I don’t want to risk something happening to you.” Eren zipped up the duffle bag, swinging it over his shoulder before turning to face Levi. “I love you too much to let something happen to you.”

            “Why can’t you love me enough to stay?” That was it- that was Levi’s breaking point. He could feel the tears streaming down his face in buckets. His whole body was a shivering mess, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t been able to get in a solid breath since Eren’s father knocked on his door. A loud sob slipped passed his quivering lips, and he could feel his knees buckling as he looked into Eren’s wide, welling eyes- eyes that would normally make his heart skip a beat if he weren’t in the middle of a full-blown breakdown.  

            “I’m doing this because I love you.” Eren whispered, reaching a shaking hand out towards Levi’s cheek. He softly swiped away some of the older man’s tears with his thumb. He hated this; he hated seeing Levi like this. Levi was the strong one, and yet the man was about to fall apart right in front of him, and it was all Eren’s fault. Leaving was the best option for everyone at this point. He had never really thought about their age difference that much until his father had brought it to light, and now he was deathly afraid of Levi rotting away in a cold jail cell. He couldn’t let that happen, so he had to leave. He would appease his father, for now.

            Eren started towards the door with Levi close on his heels. He reached for the doorknob, pulling the door open before turning back to the older man. “I’ll write,” he said, swallowing down a sob. He was pretty sure he could see the exact moment Levi’s heart cracked by the pain painted across the older man’s normally stoic features. “I love you,” he whispered, pressing his lips against Levi’s for one last time before walking out of the apartment, refusing to look back for he feared he would crumple to the floor if he did.

            Levi watched as Eren walked out of his sight for forever-his mind a jumbled mess unable to process what was really happening. This was not like him; normally, he was the one who had everything under control, yet here he was, watching as the love of his life walked away.

 He closed his apartment door, pressing his back against it and falling to the floor in a trembling heap. His chest heaved as the sobs shot up his throat. He clutched at his chest as his heart struggled to beat. After a few moments, he stood on shaky legs and stumbled his way into his bedroom, reaching for his phone. He dialed Erwin’s number with quivering fingers before giving in to his buckling knees and falling to the floor once more.

            _“Hello?”_

            Levi could only gasp in response when Erwin finally picked up.

            “ _Levi, are you alright? What’s wrong?”_

“He’s g-gone…” Levi managed between gasps.

            _“What?”_

“E-Eren,” Levi started again. He had to force his voice to say that name. “He’s gone.”

            _“Levi, what happened??”_

“Please,” Levi started as the constricting feeling flared across his chest. “Help me.”

            _“I’m on my way. Stay on the phone. Levi?”_

Levi let the phone slip from his fingers as he dropped his head against the carpet, closing his eyes to the frantic shouts of Erwin’s voice emitting from the phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I feel like I owe you all an explanation. Long story short, my dad died suddenly at the end of 2014. It's kind of been hell since then with trying to sell a house and school. 
> 
> I've also been exploring different fandoms, My interests shift; it's something I cannot help. 
> 
> However, I hate an unfinished story just as much as the next kid, so I will finish this. 
> 
> Now this is the last chapter, and no, this is not a copout just to get the story finished. I've had the ending of this planned since roughly around the middle of the story. I've always planned for it to end this way.
> 
> Fear not for there will be an epilogue! (I'm not that mean)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me though. I know how hard it is to stick with stories that have year gaps between updates. 
> 
> As always, I apologize in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> This is on fanfiction.net as well.  
> Hope everyone enjoys!


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